What does lily-livered mean?
Lily-livered means (idiomatic) Cowardly, lacking courage..
Lily-livered
Pronunciation varies by accent · adjective
Meaning
(idiomatic) Cowardly, lacking courage..
Example Sentences
Ho! Then you do your best, Lillie. No one could call you lily-livered!
Stew[ard],^([sic]) What doſt thou know me for? / Kent. […] [A] lilly lyuer'd action taking knaue, […] one that would'ſt bee a baud in way of good ſeruice, and art nothing but the compoſition of a knaue, begger, coward, pander, and the ſonne and heire of a mungrell bitch, […]
Go pricke thy face, and ouer-red thy feare / Thou Lilly-liuer'd Boy.
But as for that lily-livered sneak—that poor lyin' swindlin' cringin' cur of a Clavering—who stands in my shoes—stands in my shoes, hang him!
Synonyms for lily-livered
Antonyms for lily-livered
Related Words
Word Forms
- more lily-livered
- most lily-livered
Usage Notes
Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.
Practice and Learn More
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a synonym for lily-livered?
Common synonyms include white-livered, fearful, chicken, yellow-bellied.
What is the opposite of lily-livered?
The opposite depends on the specific sense.
How do you use lily-livered in a sentence?
Ho! Then you do your best, Lillie. No one could call you lily-livered!
Sources & Attribution
FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.