plucklessadj.n.
/ˈplʌkləs/, U.S. /ˈpləkləs/ Without pluck; lacking courage or spirit. Also as n. with the and plural agreement: people lacking in courage or spirit as a class.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > fear > cowardice or pusillanimity > [adjective]
arghc885
heartlessOE
bloodlessc1225
coward1297
faintc1300
nesha1382
comfortless1387
pusillanimousa1425
faint-heartedc1440
unheartyc1440
cowardous1480
hen-hearteda1529
cowardish1530
feigningc1540
white-livered1546
cowardly1551
faceless1567
pusillanime1570
liver-hearted1571
cowish1579
cowardise1582
coward-like1587
faint-heart1590
courageless1593
sheep-like1596
white-hearted1598
milky1602
milk-livered1608
undaring1611
lily-livereda1616
yarrow1616
flightful1626
chicken-hearted1629
poltroon1649
cow-hearted1660
whey-blooded1675
unbravea1681
nimble-heeled1719
dunghill1775
shrimp-hearted1796
chicken-livered1804
white-feathered1816
pluckless1821
chicken-spirited1822
milk-blooded1822
cowardy1836
yellow1856
yellow-livered1857
putty-hearted1872
uncourageous1878
chicken1883
piker1901
yellow-bellied1907
manso1932
scaredy-cat1933
chickenshit1940
cold-footed1944
1821 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. 10 217 You should let those pluckless Tories know the truth.
1832 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. 31 142/2 The fear may be great—and it is so among the pluckless—but the danger is small.
1857 G. Outram Lyrics 145 The pluckless soul may yield to grief—We'll live in jollity!
1892 in Jrnl. Cork Hist. & Archaeol. Soc. 106/1 The cloakless are always the pluckless.
1939 J. Joyce Finnegans Wake i. 146 And because, you pluckless lankaloot, I hate the very thought of the thought of you.
1993 Plain Dealer (Cleveland, Ohio) (Nexis) 19 Oct. 7 b People interested in bringing about true education reform have little incentive to serve on school boards that the public views as pluckless, if not torpid, institutions.
Derivatives
ˈplucklessness n. lack of courage or spirit.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > fear > cowardice or pusillanimity > [noun]
arghtha1250
arghshipc1275
faintise1297
cowardicec1300
cowardshipc1330
arghness1340
arghhoodc1350
sheepnessc1380
pusillanimitya1393
cowardnessa1400
neshnessa1400
cowardyc1405
lithernessc1425
lashness1477
cowardrya1547
meagreness?1553
cowardliness1556
micropsychy1651
buzzardism1659
stanielry1659
manlessness1667
cow-heartedness1718
pusillanimousness1727
chicken-heartedness1808
infortitude1813
plucklessness1824
white-featherism1843
cold feet1893
yellow1893
liver-heartedness1897
yellowness1909
1824 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. 15 92 I do care for the intense plucklessness of our party.
1996 Quarry 44 No. 3. 115 But if she could manage to overcome my plucklessness, why could she not cure me of my relentless craving to love and be loved?
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2006; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.n.1821