lily-livered
adjective
lily-liv·ered ˈli-lē-ˈli-vərd 
: lacking courage : cowardly
Did you know?
The basis of the word lily-livered lies in an old belief. Years ago, people thought that health and temperament were the products of a balance or imbalance of four bodily fluids, or humors: blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile. It was believed that a deficiency of yellow bile, or choler, the humor that governed anger, spirit, and courage, would leave a person's liver colorless or white. Someone with this deficiency, and so white-livered, would be spiritless and a coward. Lily-livered and white-livered have been used synonymously since the 17th century, but lily-livered is now the more common expression, probably because of its alliteration.
Synonyms
- chicken
- chicken-livered
- chickenhearted
- cowardly
- craven
- dastardly
- gutless
- milk-livered [archaic]
- poltroon
- pusillanimous
- recreant
- spineless
- unheroic
- yellow
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Word History
First Known Use
1605, in the meaning defined above
lily-livered
adjective
as in pusillanimous
having or showing a shameful lack of courage the pacifist was mistakenly accused of being a lily-livered coward Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- pusillanimous
- craven
- cowardly
- spineless
- poltroon
- gutless
- frightened
- afraid
- scared
- chickenhearted
- dastardly
- unheroic
- yellow
- chicken
- timid
- recreant
- careful
- timorous
- fearful
- milk-livered
- chicken-livered
- cautious
- weak
- diffident
- fainthearted
- feeble
- bashful
- wary
- unmanly
- coy
- shy
- soft
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- brave
- heroic
- hardy
- courageous
- valiant
- intrepid
- gallant
- daring
- stalwart
- gutsy
- brazen
- valorous
- stout
- dauntless
- fearless
- doughty
- stouthearted
- bold
- nervy
- lionhearted
- cheeky
- audacious
- heroical
- spirited
- plucky
- spunky
- resolute
- greathearted
- determined