Antonyms of adj cowardly

1 sense of cowardly

Sense 1
cowardly (vs. brave), fearful -- (lacking courage; ignobly timid and faint-hearted; "cowardly dogs, ye will not aid me then"- P.B.Shelley)

brave (vs. cowardly), courageous -- (possessing or displaying courage; able to face and deal with danger or fear without flinching; "Familiarity with danger makes a brave man braver but less daring"- Herman Melville; "a frank courageous heart...triumphed over pain"- William Wordsworth; "set a courageous example by leading them safely into and out of enemy-held territory")
        => desperate, heroic -- (showing extreme courage; especially of actions courageously undertaken in desperation as a last resort; "made a last desperate attempt to reach the climber"; "the desperate gallantry of our naval task forces marked the turning point in the Pacific war"- G.C.Marshall; "they took heroic measures to save his life")
        => gallant -- (unflinching in battle or action; "a gallant warrior"; "put up a gallant resistance to the attackers")
        => game, gamy, gamey, gritty, mettlesome, spirited, spunky -- (willing to face danger)
        => lionhearted -- (extraordinarily courageous)
        => stalwart, stouthearted -- (used especially of persons; "a stalwart knight"; "a stouthearted fellow who had an active career in the army")
        => undaunted -- (resolutely courageous; "undaunted in the face of death")
        => valiant, valorous -- (having or showing valor; "a valiant attempt to prevent the hijack"; "a valiant soldier")

Similarity of adj cowardly

1 sense of cowardly

Sense 1
cowardly (vs. brave), fearful -- (lacking courage; ignobly timid and faint-hearted; "cowardly dogs, ye will not aid me then"- P.B.Shelley)
       => caitiff -- (despicably mean and cowardly)
       => chicken, chickenhearted, lily-livered, white-livered, yellow, yellow-bellied -- (easily frightened)
       => craven, recreant -- (lacking even the rudiments of courage; abjectly fearful; "the craven fellow turned and ran"; "a craven proposal to raise the white flag"; "this recreant knight"- Spenser)
       => dastard (prenominal), dastardly -- (despicably cowardly; "the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on...December 7th"- F.D. Roosevelt)
       => faint, fainthearted, timid, faint-hearted -- (lacking conviction or boldness or courage; "faint heart ne'er won fair lady")
       => funky -- (in a state of cowardly fright)
       => poltroon -- (characterized by complete cowardliness)
       => pusillanimous, poor-spirited, unmanly -- (lacking in courage and manly strength and resolution; contemptibly fearful)
          Also See-> afraid#1; ignoble#1; timid#1