Cowardly means lacking courage when courage is needed. A cowardly person runs away from difficulties instead of facing them, or refuses to stand up for what's right because they're afraid of the consequences.

The word describes letting fear control your actions when something important is at stake, even though everyone feels fear sometimes. A student who watches a classmate being bullied but says nothing because they're worried about becoming unpopular is acting in a cowardly way. A cowardly soldier might abandon their post during battle, putting others in danger.

The word often carries strong disapproval. When we call an action cowardly, we mean the person should have been braver. A cowardly attack might mean striking someone weaker or from behind, taking no risk yourself. Some people describe anonymous online insults as cowardly because the person hiding behind a screen won't say the same thing face to face.

The opposite of cowardly is brave or courageous. Brave people feel fear too, but they act anyway when something matters.