cowering 1 of 2

cowering

2 of 2

verb

present participle of cower
as in cringing
to draw back or crouch down in fearful submission the abused dog always cowered in the presence of its master

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cowering
Verb
The staff member can be seen cowering down to fend off the attack and then turns and squares up to the irate passenger, who’s wearing a green colored top and army green pants. Michael Dorgan, Fox News, 29 Nov. 2024 The trauma of war is ever-present in Honda's vision, which sees citizens fleeing for their lives and cowering in the rubble of their homes. Katie Rife, EW.com, 18 Oct. 2024 Neither do the cowering members of Slough House. Erik Kain, Forbes, 9 Oct. 2024 Hence the obtuse rabbis, the cowering Uncle Yasha, and, in Aliyah of the 1990s, the naked Russian woman, presumably a prostitute, presenting herself doggy-style. Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 5 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cowering
Adjective
  • Washington has become the court of Nero: an incendiary emperor, submissive courtiers, and a buffoon on ketamine tasked with purging the civil service.
    Claude Malhuret, The Atlantic, 8 Mar. 2025
  • However, these works — all written by men — portrayed Veronika as a fragile, submissive woman, passively awaiting her fate.
    Leo Barraclough, Variety, 14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Netanyahu appears convinced that his country’s security, along with his own political survival, depends on prolonging the military offensives and keeping both Gaza and Lebanon ungovernable, and therefore acquiescent.
    Mohanad Hage Ali, Foreign Affairs, 1 Nov. 2024
  • The young man’s comment was out of line, and my silence felt somehow acquiescent.
    Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 21 Sep. 2024
Adjective
  • Accommodating, which is unassertive and cooperative, prioritizes the needs and preferences of others over one’s own in order to maintain harmony.
    Ellen Choi, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025
  • Shy and unassertive, she’s often been overlooked by others and kept to herself.
    Yasmine AlSayyad, The New Yorker, 9 Jan. 2023
Adjective
  • Oil and gas that is not compliant would face a 10% tariff.
    Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 12 Mar. 2025
  • Trump delayed the original duties until March, and then added another one-month reprieve for all vehicles compliant with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) rules of origin.
    Nora Eckert, USA TODAY, 11 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Some of the more jarring sequences remain amusing despite their brashness: At one point, for example, Mickey narrates a shocking vignette—about a psychopath on Earth who printed multiple copies of himself to carry out grisly murders—with the resigned, wary tone of an office worker.
    Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 7 Mar. 2025
  • The goat had a resigned look in her eyes as the rancher pressed her udder and aimed a stream of milk into a tall cup.
    Daniel Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Veterans groups, however, complained that the new court was too deferential to the VA when reviewing the agency’s decisions.
    Maureen Groppe, USA TODAY, 5 Mar. 2025
  • In short, the Trump-Ukraine policy that the country’s defenders feared — one that is overly deferential to Russia and pushes for a quick deal, even at the cost of Ukraine’s sovereignty — appears to be coming to fruition.
    Joshua Keating, Vox, 20 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • These prices tend to reflect the higher yielding asking price versus the lower yielding bid price.
    Barnet Sherman, Forbes, 31 Dec. 2024
  • Net interest income for the quarter was $72.2 million, compared to $62.2 million in the previous year, driven by growth in higher yielding loans, primarily from CCBX.
    Quartz Bot, Quartz, 8 Nov. 2024

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Cite this Entry

“Cowering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cowering. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.

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