coward

/ˈkaʊəd/ n.
标准词条 CET-4
一句话记住

懦夫；胆小鬼

释义与例句

n. 懦夫；胆小鬼
a person who is not brave and is too eager to avoid danger, difficulty or pain
  1. He was called a coward for running away from the fight.
    他因从打斗中逃跑而被称为懦夫。
  2. A coward would never face such a dangerous challenge.
    懦夫永远不会面对这样危险的挑战。
展开其余 1 条例句
  1. Do not be a coward; stand up for what you believe in.
    别做懦夫，要为自己的信念挺身而出。

词源与构词

记忆钩子 联想“cow（牛）+ ard”——像牛一样受惊就跑的人，即胆小鬼；加 -ly 变形容词 cowardly。

词族与关联词

词族（同一词根派生出的不同词性或形式）
  • cowardly 胆小的；怯懦的
    coward 加 -ly 构成形容词，形容人或行为缺乏勇气。
  • cowardice 怯懦；胆小
    coward 的名词形式，指胆怯的品质。
同义词
  • weakling 软弱的人；弱者
    coward 强调缺乏勇气、临阵退缩；weakling 强调身体或意志软弱，含义更广。
    He was treated as a weakling by his classmates. 他被同学们当作软弱的人。
反义词
  • hero 英雄；勇士
    coward 因害怕而逃避，hero 勇敢面对危险，在勇气品质上相对。
    The firefighter was hailed as a hero for saving the child. 消防员因救了孩子而被誉为英雄。
常见搭配
  • act like a coward 表现得像个懦夫
    Do not act like a coward when things get difficult. 遇到困难时别表现得像个懦夫。
  • cowardly act 怯懦的行为
    Leaving his friend behind was a cowardly act. 抛下朋友是一种怯懦的行为。
  • brand someone a coward 给某人贴上懦夫的标签
    His friends branded him a coward after he retreated. 他退缩后，朋友们给他贴上了懦夫的标签。