WORD FOR THE DAY(2/5/18)Pusillanimous

2/5/18

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WORD FOR THE DAY(1/22/18)Pusillanimous



• Definition of pusillanimous

: lacking courage and resolution : marked by contemptible timidity

— pusillanimously

adverb

First Known Use: 15th century

Examples of pusillanimous in a Sentence

1. pusillanimous politicians who vote according to whichever way the political wind is blowing

Did You Know?

Do you know someone who has a small, weak spirit, someone whose reserve of inner strength is too small to draw from in times of danger and adversity? If so, you'll find pusillanimous to be the perfect descriptor for that person. The Latin roots of this derisive adjective are pusillus, meaning "very small" (and related to pusus, meaning "boy") and animus, which means "spirit" and is the ancestor to many words in our language, including "animal" and "animate." Pusillanimous first appeared in English in the 16th century, but it gained prominence in the 1970s when Vice President Spiro Agnew famously accused his ideological rivals of "pusillanimous pussyfooting." And despite what you may have heard, pusillanimous does not serve as the basis for pussyfoot, pussycat, or a certain related vulgarism.

Origin and Etymology of pusillanimous

Late Latin pusillanimis, from Latin pusillus very small (diminutive of pusus boy) + animus spirit; perhaps akin to Latin puer child — more at puerile, animate pusillanimous Synonyms

Synonyms chicken, chickenhearted, chicken-livered, craven, dastardly, gutless, lily-livered, milk-livered [archaic], poltroon, cowardly, recreant, spineless, unheroic, yellow

Antonyms brave, courageous, daring, dauntless, doughty, fearless, gallant, greathearted, gutsy, hardy, heroic (also heroical), intrepid, lionhearted, stalwart, stout, stouthearted, valiant, valorous

Related Words diffident, fainthearted, fearful, timid, timorous; afraid, frightened, scared; careful, cautious, wary; bashful, coy, shy; feeble, soft, unmanly, weak

Near Antonyms audacious, bold, brazen, cheeky, nervy; plucky, spirited, spunky; determined, resolute

Synonym Discussion of pusillanimous

cowardly, pusillanimous, craven, dastardly mean having or showing a lack of courage. cowardly implies a weak or ignoble lack of courage. ◦ ⟨a cowardly failure to stand up for principle⟩

pusillanimous suggests a contemptible lack of courage. ◦ ⟨the pusillanimous fear of a future full of possibility⟩

craven suggests extreme defeatism and complete lack of resistance. ◦ ⟨secretly despised her own craven yes-men⟩

dastardly often implies behavior that is both cowardly and treacherous or skulking or outrageous. ◦ ⟨a dastardly attack on unarmed civilians⟩

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Rules: Everyone must leave a post using the Word for the Day in a sentence.

The sentence must, in some way, relate to the news of the day.

MY ENTRY:

The pusillanimous behavior of RINOs has the unique talent of snatching Defeat from the jaws of Victory.

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Seriously, FRiends, I chose this word for WFTD over a week ago, and had no idea of the target-rich environment that would present itself to us upon the release of The MEMO!

Have fun! :-)

[blu]

I knew the word when I read it, and suddenly, I was shocked to see Nancy Pelosi’s plasticine face!

[BenLurkin]

Paul Ryan showed how pusillanimous he is when he deleted his pro-tax cut tweet.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/03/politics/paul-ryan-tweet-tax-cut-backlash/index.html

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Indeed. It has been one of my favorite words for a long time!

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Yes. “Deleting Tweets” due to enemy pressure is pusillanimous behavior!

[SMGFan]

been familiar with its use with “pusillanimous pipsqueak” in Lost in Space repeats

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Sounds like a Dr Smith-ism! :-)

[Robert A Cook PE]

Those wearing Nancy-Hillary-Barack-Michelle pink hats are certainly due their pussimiscellaneous protests about scared women demanding that they be the only allowed to think, act, and speak.

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Oh, indeed, yes!

The hats were pusillanimous, precisely!

[Daaave]

I thought Pusillanimous was a Greek historian that lived during reign of Emperor Hadrian.

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No, “Pussilanimous” what what Boudica CALLED the Emperor Hadrian!

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Actually it was Nero who was Pusillanimous. :-)

[yoe]

"... I was shocked to see Nancy Pelosi’s Plasticine face!"

Ms. Pelosi is the epitome of pusillanimous, i.e. craven and cowardly...fearful of losing her power in her political arena....she babels incoherently....

[mikrofon]

The pusillanimous Press were providing pussynonymous terms for that headgear in order to change the perception from ridiculous to sublime…

[JudyinCanada]

Ha! I recognize that word! There was a very dedicated Freeper who posted a countdown of the number of days of Obama which were to be endured. He always had a magnificent list of the many adjectives to describe the Kenyan.....this was one of them! Now if only I could remember the Freeper!

[John Milner]

A song lyric:

You’re so pusillanimous, oh yeah.
Nature’s calling and I must go, yeah.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pAS_9fIzRY

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It was Lazamataz.

And it was a wonderful thread wasn’t it!

[JudyinCanada]

Oh how could I forget - it was Lazamataz! It was so funny - I couldn’t believe all of the very fitting adjectives he listed.

[TruthShallSetYouFree]

The Dems treated Trump’s speech with animus
They sat on their hands, pusillanimous
As he lauded each hero
They fiddled, like Nero
Not wanting praise to be unanimous