Meaning & use
cowed
Made frightened or submissive through intimidation, threats, or a show of force.
See it in a sentence
The new intern felt cowed by her boss's sharp, impatient tone.
The crowd grew cowed and silent as the soldiers marched into the square.
A note on using this word
Cowed is the past participle of the verb "to cow," meaning to intimidate, unrelated to the farm animal despite the identical spelling.
Words with a similar meaning
intimidatedbrowbeaten
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
emboldeneddefiant
Make it your own
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