How do you say "cowardly" in Russian?

трусливый

truslivyj

Adjective Cyrillic

In Russian, "cowardly" is трусливый (truslivyj).

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Pronunciation

English speakers can read it as truslivyj, putting emphasis on "liv", and the rest comes out fairly flat. Try whispering it first, then say it at normal speed.

Writing and usage

трусливый is written using cyrillic. It's a adjective, part of the vocabulary taught in the Noun Town language learning game.

Example sentence

Убегать было трусливо.

Ubegat' bylo truslivo.

It was cowardly to run away.

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How to remember трусливый

Notice how "trus" echoes something like the syllable "trus" in everyday English speech — a small bridge to remembering "cowardly".

Related words

Browse all Russian words in the glossary.

Questions about трусливый

How do you pronounce трусливый?

English speakers can read it as truslivyj, putting emphasis on "liv", and the rest comes out fairly flat. Try whispering it first, then say it at normal speed.

Is трусливый formal or casual?

трусливый is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech.

How is трусливый used in Russian?

трусливый is used the same way as the equivalent English adjective. For example: Убегать было трусливо. (It was cowardly to run away.).

Where can I practice Russian words for free?

You can play free Russian minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, no sign-up required. Every word in the Russian glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Cowardly" in other languages

Curated by Callan Ratcliffe

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Russian language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.

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