coward
n. countablen. someone who is not brave and is too afraid to do things that might be dangerous or difficult. You use this word to describe a person who runs away from a challenge.
n. a person who lacks the courage to face danger, difficulty, opposition, or pain. Often used as a pejorative to criticise a perceived lack of moral or physical fortitude.
He felt like a coward for not telling the truth.
The soldier was branded a coward by his peers after he abandoned his post during the night.
History often remembers those who stood their ground, while the coward is relegated to the margins, serving only as a cautionary tale about the consequences of fear over principle.
Commonly used as a derogatory label; can be followed by 'about' or 'to' when describing the specific fear ('a coward about needles').