Player not loading? Watch on YouTube (opens in a new tab).
Pusillanimous: companion reading notes
Pusillanimous (adjective): Lacking courage or resolution.
How to use it
This rare, formal word expresses strong disapproval. It is not a neutral description of caution, and calling someone pusillanimous can sound insulting. Cowardly is a more familiar near-synonym.
Examples to practise aloud
- In the novel, the narrator condemns the leader’s pusillanimous retreat.
- The critic called the refusal to defend a colleague pusillanimous.
Check your understanding
Does pusillanimous neutrally mean careful?
Check your answer
No. It criticises a perceived lack of courage. Caution alone does not justify that judgement.
Practise the right word
Write a sentence in which a narrator criticises a cowardly action. Use pusillanimous, rather than prudent. Prudent concerns sensible judgement; it is a different word.
Model answer: The critic described the leader’s refusal to defend his colleague as pusillanimous.
Continue with our pusillanimous reading lesson
Reference: Merriam-Webster: Pusillanimous. Examples and practice are written for this lesson.
Turn watching into practice
- Listen for a word or phrase you want to learn. Pause and repeat it aloud.
- Write its meaning in your own words, then replay to check your understanding.
- Create a sentence about your own life. Say it aloud without looking at your notes.