as in fearfulness
a shameful lack of courage in the face of danger
the pusillanimity shown by the press on this issue after the administration began applying pressure
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Recent Examples of pusillanimity
Reid’s statement was striking for its sheer pusillanimity.
—
Adam S. Posen, Foreign Affairs, 14 Dec. 2015
What a profile in pusillanimity.
—The Editorial Board, WSJ, 23 May 2022
Our logrolling, our stumps and their politics, our fisheries, our Negroes and Indians, our boasts and our repudiations, the wrath of rogues and the pusillanimity of honest men, the northern trade, the southern planting, the western clearing, Oregon, and Texas, are yet unsung.
—Mark Edmundson, Harper’s Magazine , 12 Dec. 2022
Even the turbulent Vietnam era didn’t inspire such pusillanimity.
—Matthew Hennessey, WSJ, 10 Mar. 2022
The pusillanimity of American corporations on this subject continues to astound.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 26 Dec. 2021
First civil-rights groups accused it of pusillanimity.
—The Economist, 14 Apr. 2021
It is often said that, given the rank pusillanimity of most politicians, such backsliding is inevitable.
—Rich Lowry, National Review, 26 Mar. 2021
On the Republican side, strategic calculations ahead of the Georgia runoffs are reinforcing the pusillanimity that many officials are displaying.
—John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 8 Dec. 2020
Adam S. Posen, Foreign Affairs, 14 Dec. 2015
What a profile in pusillanimity.
—The Editorial Board, WSJ, 23 May 2022
Our logrolling, our stumps and their politics, our fisheries, our Negroes and Indians, our boasts and our repudiations, the wrath of rogues and the pusillanimity of honest men, the northern trade, the southern planting, the western clearing, Oregon, and Texas, are yet unsung.
—Mark Edmundson, Harper’s Magazine , 12 Dec. 2022
Even the turbulent Vietnam era didn’t inspire such pusillanimity.
—Matthew Hennessey, WSJ, 10 Mar. 2022
The pusillanimity of American corporations on this subject continues to astound.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 26 Dec. 2021
First civil-rights groups accused it of pusillanimity.
—The Economist, 14 Apr. 2021
It is often said that, given the rank pusillanimity of most politicians, such backsliding is inevitable.
—Rich Lowry, National Review, 26 Mar. 2021
On the Republican side, strategic calculations ahead of the Georgia runoffs are reinforcing the pusillanimity that many officials are displaying.
—John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 8 Dec. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pusillanimity
cowardice
Noun
-
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa characterized the flight of Afrikaners from his country as an act of cowardice.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
14 May 2025
-
The variety of wounds, which were mainly found in the skull, pelvis and torso, and made by weapons including spears, daggers, swords and iron bolts, suggests they were sustained during battle rather than the result of execution – the punishment for military cowardice, the museum said.—
Amarachi Orie,
CNN Money,
4 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pusillanimity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pusillanimity. Accessed 2 Jun. 2025.
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