CUR Synonyms: 134 Similar and Opposite Words

cur

noun

ˈkər

Definition of cur

as in coward

a person who shows a shameful lack of courage in the face of danger denounced as curs those police officers who deserted their posts during the hurricane and its aftermath

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in bastard

a person whose behavior is offensive to others only a cur would abandon friends in their time of need

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of cur That didn’t stop Annie, a mix of Staffordshire bull terrier, black mouth cur and Siberian husky, from sharing in the treats being handed out by Phoenix’s owner Maribel Gonzalez. — Gloria Casas, Chicago Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026 Since switching to bears, Propst and Starks have accumulated a sound, reliable pack of bear dogs-redbones, Walkers, mountain curs and black-and-tans. — John McCoy, Outdoor Life, 12 Nov. 2025 His Orlok is more feral and red-blooded than previous iterations, appearing swathed in ursine furs and accompanied by mangy curs. — Celia Mattison, Vulture, 27 Dec. 2024 His arch nemesis, Richard Nixon, had fled the White House like a diseased cur after the Watergate scandal and in his disappearance from the political scene, Thompson lost perhaps his greatest muse. — Rory Feehan, SPIN, 9 Nov. 2023 On a blustery Saturday afternoon in April, 18 of 25 groups there had dogs off a leash, including this reporter with her black mouth cur mix, Archer. — Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 4 Aug. 2023 Behind the bar, the enormous portrait of the family’s late dog Rio — a black mouth cur for whom the restaurant is named — watches over the room. — Sarah Blaskovich, Dallas News, 21 Dec. 2020 Pop it into first gear, low range, and this cur will claw halfway up the Washington Monument with no driver at the wheel. — John Phillips, Car and Driver, 24 Mar. 2020

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cur

Noun

But Coyote has hitched his hopes for the mammoth case upon a man who could only be called a coward.

— Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
The pundits feasted on her neutrality, most venomously Megyn Kelly, who called her a coward.

— Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of coward

Noun

The local community has also rallied to help the family by delivering meals, caring for their kids and walking their dog.

— Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 29 Aug. 2026
Four months later, he was seen last weekend walking dogs, taking walks, enjoying a cup of coffee in a garage, and even stopping to sift through neighborhood trash items on the side of the street.

— Kelsie Cairns, FOXNews.com, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of dog

Noun

The latter accidentally does happen, which leads to power struggles between the bigoted jerk and our trio of heroines.

— Brian Truitt, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026
Duffy, for his part, came across as a real jerk at times, but surprisingly charming at others, with a half-nerd, half-jock mien—sweepy hair, big glasses, a megawatt smile—that put me in mind of a Wisconsin Sam Seaborn.

— Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of jerk

Noun

But my favorite Tim Curry performance will always be Pennywise, the clown in Tommy Lee Wallace’s 1990 miniseries adaptation of Stephen King’s It, which, compared to Andy Muschietti’s mega popular pair of films, is modest, even a little lame.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2026
Curry, who died Tuesday at 80, made a gleefully evil turn as a clown that sparked nightmares for legions of Gen X and millennial viewers that continue to haunt to this day.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of clown

Noun

It's usually transmitted through a bite from a bat, coyote, fox, raccoon or skunk.

— Nicholas Lentz, CBS News, 24 Aug. 2026
Not a forest by any means, but a small woods where there are squirrels and chipmunks, probably snakes and skunks, rabbits and, now and then, passing through on some mysterious transient route, a deer or a family of deer.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Aug. 2026