ISEE/SSAT Vocabulary BuilderWordsPpusillanimous
ISEE/SSAThard
pusillanimous
Meaning: lacking courage in a shameful or contemptible way
pusillanimous in a sentence
How pusillanimous is used in real sentences:
His pusillanimous refusal to oppose the bully disappointed his friends.
The pusillanimous official abandoned his principles as soon as critics challenged him.
“The directors expected a pusillanimous clerk who would retreat before their rank, but Venn calmly demanded every receipt.”
— from the passage The Season of Reckoning
“Vane accused senior clerks of remaining pusillanimous when challenged; fearing dismissal, they surrendered records they were legally obliged to protect.”
— from the passage The Sealed County Papers
“It would be pusillanimous, however, to abandon the enterprise merely because its first defenses proved imperfect.”
— from the passage The Thawing Refuge
Synonyms for pusillanimous
Other words for pusillanimous — cowardly, craven and timorous — carry the same meaning.
- cowardly
- craven
- timorous
Antonyms of pusillanimous
Words that mean the opposite of pusillanimous:
- brave
- valiant
- resolute
Where it comes from
From Latin pusillus, meaning 'small,' and animus, meaning 'spirit.'
Word parts
- anim — life
pusillanimous: pusill (tiny) + anim (spirit) + -ous
Memory hook
PUSILLANIMOUS contains ANIMUS, or spirit: here the spirit is small and cowardly.
Practice pusillanimous in the app