English Meaning & Definitions
Lacking strength of character, courage, or determination; easily intimidated or submissive.
- “The politician was criticized for his spineless refusal to take a stand on the controversial issue.”
- “It was a spineless decision to fire the employee via email rather than speaking to him face-to-face.”
Lacking a spinal column; invertebrate.
- “The marine biologist spent years studying various spineless creatures found in the deep ocean trenches.”
- “Jellyfish and octopuses are examples of spineless organisms.”
English Synonyms & Near Equivalents
English Antonyms & Opposites
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for “spineless”.
Derived from the English 'spine' (backbone) + the suffix '-less' (without). Originally used in a biological sense in the 17th century to describe invertebrates (animals lacking a vertebral column), it evolved metaphorically by the 19th century to describe a person lacking moral fiber, courage, or strength of character.
Imagine a jellyfish: it has no spine to hold it up, just as a 'spineless' person has no backbone to stand up for their beliefs.
Frequently Asked Questions About “spineless”
1. What is the meaning of “spineless” in English?
In English, spineless (adjective) is defined as: “Lacking strength of character, courage, or determination; easily intimidated or submissive.”.
2. How do you use “spineless” in a sentence?
“The politician was criticized for his spineless refusal to take a stand on the controversial issue.”
3. What are English synonyms of “spineless”?
4. What is the etymology and word origin of “spineless”?
Derived from the English 'spine' (backbone) + the suffix '-less' (without). Originally used in a biological sense in the 17th century to describe invertebrates (animals lacking a vertebral column), it evolved metaphorically by the 19th century to describe a person lacking moral fiber, courage, or strength of character.
🇬🇧More English Words to English
View all English words →A measurement of time indicating an instantaneous occurrence or a state where no time has elapsed.
The base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), equal to the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium-133 atom.
A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.