Cowardice 指因恐懼而表現出的缺乏勇氣或膽怯的行為。
缺乏勇氣
EN: Lack of courage in facing danger or difficulty.
翻譯: 面對危險或困難時缺乏勇氣。
膽怯行為
EN: The act of showing fear and avoiding what should be done.
翻譯: 表現出恐懼並逃避應盡責任的行為。
道德缺陷
EN: A moral failing characterized by excessive fear and failure to act rightly.
翻譯: 一種因過度恐懼而未能做出正確行動的道德缺陷。
軍事/法律用語
EN: Unwarranted fear in the face of the enemy, often punishable in military law.
翻譯: 在敵人面前表現出無正當理由的恐懼，在軍法中常可懲處。
小提醒：Cowardice 是不可數名詞，指一種特質或行為總稱，而非單次事件。單次膽怯行為通常說 "an act of cowardice"。
點擊下方的 US / UK 按鈕可播放發音。
Real-life Examples of "Cowardice" from YouTube Videos
Take "the Other" to lunch | Elizabeth Lesser
TED
“Now here's a title that may sound familiar but whose author may surprise you: "Four and a Half Years of Struggle Against Lies, Stupidity and Cowardice".”
1. lack of bravery or courage; fearfulness in facing danger, pain, or difficulty
缺乏勇氣或膽量；面對危險、痛苦或困難時表現出的恐懼
His cowardice prevented him from standing up to the bully.
他的懦弱使他不敢反抗那個霸凌者。
The soldier was accused of cowardice for abandoning his post.
這名士兵因擅離職守而被指控為懦弱。
2. behavior that shows a shameful lack of courage, especially in a situation requiring moral strength
表現出可恥的缺乏勇氣的行為，特別是在需要道德力量的情況下
It was an act of cowardice to spread rumors instead of confronting the issue directly.
不直接面對問題而是散播謠言，這是一種懦弱的行為。
Political cowardice often leads to poor decision-making.
政治上的懦弱常常導致糟糕的決策。
3. a tendency to be easily frightened or intimidated, often resulting in avoidance or retreat
容易受驚嚇或恐嚇的傾向，常導致逃避或退縮
His cowardice in the face of any conflict made him an unreliable partner.
他在任何衝突面前的怯懦使他成為一個不可靠的夥伴。
The cowardice of the leadership led to the collapse of the resistance movement.
領導層的怯懦導致了抵抗運動的瓦解。
| Pattern | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| cowardice + in the face of + noun | 在面對…時的懦弱 | His cowardice in the face of danger disappointed everyone. (他在面對危險時的懦弱讓所有人失望。) |
| an act of cowardice | 懦弱的行為 | Running away was seen as an act of cowardice. (逃跑被視為一種懦弱的行為。) |
| be accused of cowardice | 被指責懦弱 | The soldier was accused of cowardice for abandoning his post. (那名士兵因擅離職守而被指責懦弱。) |
| show cowardice | 表現出懦弱 | The leader showed cowardice when he refused to make the difficult decision. (這位領導人在拒絕做出艱難決定時表現出了懦弱。) |
| pure/sheer cowardice | 純粹的/十足的懦弱 | His betrayal was an act of pure cowardice. (他的背叛是純粹的懦弱之舉。) |
對比例句： EN: His cowardice in the face of danger disappointed everyone. 翻譯: 他在危險面前表現出的怯懦讓所有人失望。
EN:That was a cowardly act, not a strategic retreat.
翻譯:那是怯懦之舉，而非戰略性撤退。
EN:She accused him of cowardice for not speaking up.
翻譯:她指責他因不敢發聲而怯懦。
EN:It was cowardly of him to spread rumors anonymously.
翻譯:他匿名散播謠言，真是懦弱。
記住 cowardice (n.) 指「怯懦」這種特質，而 cowardly (adj.) 用來描述「怯懦的」人或行為，即可避免混淆。
cowardice vs coward
「cowardice」指懦弱的行為或特質，是抽象名詞；「coward」則指懦弱的人，是具體名詞。
cowardice vs fear
「cowardice」是因恐懼而產生的可恥退縮行為；「fear」是普遍的情緒感受，本身不帶道德判斷。
cowardice vs timidity
「cowardice」是道德缺陷，指在責任面前因恐懼而退縮；「timidity」是性格害羞或缺乏自信，嚴重程度較輕。
用於轉述他人對某行為或態度的批評，常以「說...是懦弱」或「指責...懦弱」的結構出現。 EN: He said that quitting now would be an act of cowardice. 翻譯: 他說現在放棄是一種懦弱的行為。
EN:Many accused the leader of cowardice for not facing the protesters directly.
翻譯:許多人指責該領導人懦弱，不敢直接面對抗議者。
在爭論或激烈對話中，用來強烈譴責對方缺乏勇氣，語氣直接且帶有攻擊性。 EN: This isn't caution, it's pure cowardice! 翻譯: 這不是謹慎，這是純粹的懦弱！
EN:Don't try to justify your cowardice with excuses.
翻譯:別想用藉口來為你的懦弱辯解。
在組織嚴肅觀點或總結時，作為短暫停頓後的結論性用詞，通常前面會有「說白了」、「歸根結底」等短語。 EN: In the end, it all comes down to cowardice. 翻譯: 說到底，這一切都歸結於懦弱。
EN:The real issue here, let's be honest, is cowardice.
翻譯:這裡真正的問題，老實說，就是懦弱。
正式寫作注意：在學術或正式報告中，建議使用更中性的同義詞如「缺乏勇氣」(lack of courage) 或「膽怯」(timidity)，以保持客觀語氣。"cowardice"一詞本身帶有強烈的道德譴責意味，在正式文體中可能顯得不夠嚴謹。
act of cowardice
noun phrase
懦弱的行為
moral cowardice
noun phrase
道德上的懦弱
sheer cowardice
noun phrase
十足的懦弱
accuse someone of cowardice
verb + object + prepositional phrase
指責某人懦弱
cowardice in the face of danger
noun + prepositional phrase
面對危險時的懦弱
display/show cowardice
verb + noun
表現出懦弱
political cowardice
noun phrase
政治上的懦弱
×He is cowardice.
✓He is a coward. / He is cowardly.
"cowardice" is a noun meaning the quality of being a coward. To describe a person, use the noun "coward" or the adjective "cowardly".
×He showed many cowardices.
✓He showed great cowardice.
"cowardice" is an uncountable noun. It cannot be pluralized. Use quantifiers like "great," "extreme," or "an act of" instead.
×He was criticized for his cowardness.
✓He was criticized for his cowardice.
The correct noun form from "coward" is "cowardice," not "cowardness." "Cowardness" is not a standard English word.
×He acted cowardice in the face of danger.
✓He acted cowardly in the face of danger.
"Cowardice" is a noun and cannot be used as an adverb to modify a verb. Use the adverb "cowardly" instead.
×It showed a cowardice.
✓It showed cowardice.
As an uncountable noun, "cowardice" typically does not take the indefinite article "a/an." It is used without an article or with "the" when referring to specific cowardice.