cowardly
/ˈkaʊədli/adjective
उच्चारण कावड्ली
कायर, डरपोक
Core wordPYP · asked 9 times
Asked in previous papers
as antonym
+4 more
SSC CHSL Pre 2023SSC CHSL Pre 2021SSC CHSL Pre 2020SSC CHSL Pre 2019- 1
not brave; not willing to do dangerous or unpleasant things
कायर, डरपोक
- It was cowardly to run away and leave her alone.
- a cowardly attack on an unarmed man
- Running away from the problem was a cowardly thing to do.
+ 2 more examples
- He felt ashamed of his cowardly behaviour during the storm.
- It was a cowardly decision to blame others for his own mistake.
Synonyms timid craven spineless
Opposite brave courageous valiant
§Structures (grammar patterns) 4
be cowardly (predicative)
Cowardly describes a person or an act that shows lack of courage. It can follow be, seem or look.
'Cowardly' किसी व्यक्ति या कार्य में साहस की कमी दिखाता है। यह be, seem या look के बाद आ सकता है।
- It was cowardly to blame the new boy for the broken window.
- Nobody wants to seem cowardly in front of the whole class.
cowardly + noun (attributive)
Before a noun it labels the action itself: a cowardly act, a cowardly attack, a cowardly lie.
Noun से पहले यह उस कार्य को ही बताता है, जैसे a cowardly act, a cowardly attack, a cowardly lie।
- The newspaper called the bomb threat a cowardly act.
- He told a cowardly lie to escape punishment.
It is cowardly of sb to do sth
When you judge a person's behaviour with an adjective of character, the preposition of is used before the person, not for.
जब किसी के स्वभाव-सूचक विशेषण से उसके व्यवहार पर टिप्पणी की जाए, तब व्यक्ति से पहले 'of' आता है, 'for' नहीं।
- It was cowardly of him to leave without telling anyone.
- Wasn't it cowardly of the manager to hide behind his assistant?
cowardly is an adjective, not an adverb
Although it ends in -ly, cowardly is not an adverb. To describe how someone acts, use in a cowardly way or like a coward.
'-ly' पर समाप्त होने के बावजूद 'cowardly' adverb नहीं, adjective है। किसी के कार्य करने का ढंग बताने के लिए 'in a cowardly way' या 'like a coward' लिखें।
- The soldier behaved in a cowardly way and abandoned his post.
- He acted like a coward when the trouble began.
+Collocations 4
cowardly + noun
actattacklieexcusebehaviourretreat
- Hitting a smaller child is a cowardly act.
adverb + cowardly
utterlydownrightratherdeeplymorally
- Leaving an injured friend on the road was downright cowardly.
verb + cowardly
beseemlookfeelcall sb
- The villagers called his silence cowardly.
cowardly + way / manner
in a cowardly wayin a cowardly mannerin cowardly fashion
- The accused denied everything in a cowardly manner.
“More examples 5
- Radhika thought it cowardly to avoid the question instead of answering it honestly.
राधिका को लगा कि प्रश्न का ईमानदारी से उत्तर देने के बजाय उसे टाल जाना कायरता है।
- The cowardly attack on the pilgrims was condemned across the country.
तीर्थयात्रियों पर हुए कायराना हमले की पूरे देश में निंदा की गई।
- A cowardly king would have surrendered at once, but Maharana Pratap fought on.
कोई कायर राजा तुरंत आत्मसमर्पण कर देता, पर महाराणा प्रताप लड़ते रहे।
- Sending an anonymous message to insult her was a cowardly thing to do.
उसे अपमानित करने के लिए गुमनाम संदेश भेजना कायरतापूर्ण काम था।
- Rohan felt ashamed of his cowardly behaviour during the flood.
रोहन को बाढ़ के दौरान अपने कायरतापूर्ण व्यवहार पर शर्म आई।
!Common mistakes 4
✗ The guard behaved cowardly during the robbery.
✓ The guard behaved in a cowardly way during the robbery.
Cowardly is an adjective, so it cannot modify the verb behaved. Use in a cowardly way or like a coward.
'Cowardly' adjective है, इसलिए यह क्रिया 'behaved' की विशेषता नहीं बता सकता। 'In a cowardly way' या 'like a coward' का प्रयोग करें।
✗ It was cowardly for him to run away from the match.
✓ It was cowardly of him to run away from the match.
After adjectives that judge character, such as cowardly, kind or rude, the person is introduced with of.
Cowardly, kind, rude जैसे स्वभाव पर टिप्पणी करने वाले विशेषणों के बाद व्यक्ति से पहले 'of' लगता है, 'for' नहीं।
✗ His cowardly was clear when he refused to testify.
✓ His cowardice was clear when he refused to testify.
Cowardly is an adjective. The noun meaning lack of courage is cowardice.
'Cowardly' adjective है। साहस की कमी के अर्थ में noun 'cowardice' है।
✗ He is a cowardly who fears every small thing.
✓ He is a coward who fears every small thing.
After the article a, a noun is needed. The person is a coward; the adjective cowardly needs a noun after it.
Article 'a' के बाद noun चाहिए। व्यक्ति के लिए noun 'coward' है; adjective 'cowardly' के बाद कोई noun आना चाहिए।
≠Thesaurus: which synonym when
These words all describe a lack of courage, but they differ in how harsh the judgement is.
ये सभी शब्द साहस की कमी बताते हैं, पर इनमें निंदा की कठोरता अलग-अलग है।
Shows a shameful lack of courage, especially when someone should have been brave or has harmed a weaker person.
शर्मनाक साहस-हीनता, खासकर जब व्यक्ति को बहादुर होना चाहिए था या उसने किसी कमज़ोर को चोट पहुँचाई हो।
- It was a cowardly attack on an unarmed man.
Shy and easily frightened by nature; it is gentle and not a moral blame.
स्वभाव से संकोची और जल्दी डर जाने वाला; यह कोमल शब्द है, नैतिक दोष नहीं।
- The timid child hid behind her mother.
Feeling afraid or worried about something; it describes a feeling, not a flaw of character.
किसी बात से डरा या चिंतित; यह भावना बताता है, चरित्र का दोष नहीं।
- Radhika was fearful of walking home in the dark.
≈Synonyms and antonyms
?Which word?
cowardly is an adjective
Despite its -ly ending, cowardly is an adjective, not an adverb: 'a cowardly act'. To describe an action, say 'in a cowardly way'. The same goes for friendly, lovely, lively and lonely.
-ly पर खत्म होने के बावजूद cowardly एक adjective है, adverb नहीं, जैसे 'a cowardly act'। क्रिया का ढंग बताने के लिए 'in a cowardly way' कहिए। Friendly, lovely, lively और lonely पर भी यही नियम लागू होता है।
§Grammar and usage
The noun is cowardice (not 'cowardness').
इसका noun cowardice है।