as in coward
a person who shows a shameful lack of courage in the face of danger
a staunch hawk during the drumbeat for war, he proved to be a chicken when it came to actually fighting it
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in yellow
having or showing a shameful lack of courage
too chicken to go through with the stunt
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in nominal
so small or unimportant as to warrant little or no attention
just concentrate on the important duties of the job and forget about the chicken stuff
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of chicken
Debby Wolfinsohn, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Feb. 2026
Pork bacon and chicken prices are also up.
—Joe Murphy, NBC news, 8 Feb. 2026
Replace cover and cook 1 minute more or until chicken is cooked through.
—C.w. Cameron, AJC.com, 8 Feb. 2026
Frozen prepared foods like chicken nuggets, pizza, meatballs, and waffles are engineered for freezer-to-heat cooking.
—Anne Wolf, Martha Stewart, 8 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for chicken
Noun
Cue everyone with a fur baby of their own crying into their beer and chicken wings.
—Debby Wolfinsohn, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Feb. 2026
Pork bacon and chicken prices are also up.
—Joe Murphy, NBC news, 8 Feb. 2026
Replace cover and cook 1 minute more or until chicken is cooked through.
—C.w. Cameron, AJC.com, 8 Feb. 2026
Frozen prepared foods like chicken nuggets, pizza, meatballs, and waffles are engineered for freezer-to-heat cooking.
—Anne Wolf, Martha Stewart, 8 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for chicken
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chicken
Noun
-
Please do not take the coward’s way.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
31 Jan. 2026
-
And Trump calls ’em almost like cowards.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
24 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Every April and May, the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, India, fills with devotees of the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket team Chennai Super Kings, all wearing their trademark banana yellow.—
Samanth Subramanian,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Feb. 2026
-
If the color of the inner bark is yellow or light green, then the plant can still be helped.—
Lee Wallender,
The Spruce,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The source said the Heat were not willing to offload for nominal draft capital.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Today, his brother Raúl Castro is 94, and Cuba’ s nominal president, Miguel Diaz-Canel, is an obscure bureaucrat who has a hard time keeping his audiences awake.—
Andres Oppenheimer,
Miami Herald,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
What happens to the funding for buses and light rail when people are afraid to ride them, and no one buys bus tickets?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Too Much Wall Art Wall art is a great way to make a space feel more complete, but don't be afraid to leave some blank space here and there.—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
For the latter, a 2023 meta-analysis found that even a slight bump in the average monthly temperature can lead to increases in suicide and suicidal behavior.—
Mary Kekatos,
ABC News,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Washington has made a slight improvement on defense, especially as a rim protector, but there’s more room for Washington to regain his footing during the final quarter of the season.—
Mike Curtis,
Dallas Morning News,
14 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Number two, everyone is scared.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Individuals, nonprofits and local businesses collect bags of food, baby formula, diapers and other items and deliver them to people too scared to leave their homes.—
Ray Sanchez,
CNN Money,
8 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
In 2018, the company had a viral moment when Catherine’s sister-in-law, the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, wore their jeans at a public event, setting off a frenzy that spiked demand and overwhelmed the tiny operation of around 20 employees at the time.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Her subsequent eviction from the Beguines leads to her accepting the Bishop’s offer of sanctuary—as an anchorite, destined to live out her days in a tiny stone outcropping.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
While protesters may be frightened and grieving after last month's bloodbath, they're not mollified.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Inside the bathysphere of the novel, readers make contact with a darkness that our frightened minds might otherwise reject.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Chicken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chicken. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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