I thought ye would never have given out these arms till you had recovered your ancient freedom: but you are all recreants and dastards, and delight to live in slavery to the nobility.
Source: wiktionary
Dastard
/ˈdæstɚd/
Synonyms for "dastard" (23 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: base, cad, chicken, coward, cowardly.
- Sentence evidence is available for dastard, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from derived_reverse, opengloss, wordnet.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "dastard".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "dastard"
Keep "dastard" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "dastard" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "dastard", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "dastard" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
8 entriesMore specific
6 entriesCollocations
8 entriesbase dastarddastardly actdastardly deeddastardly plotdastardly schemedastardly trickinfamous dastardnotorious dastard
Inflections
3 entriesDerivations
2 entriessimilar
2 entriesSample sentences
7 total sentences available.
The dastard, that did heare him selfe defyde, / Seem'd not to weigh his threatfull words at all, / But laught them out, as if his greater pryde, / Did scorne the challenge of so base a thrall: Or had not courage, or else had no gall.
Source: wiktionary
My client, an innately bashful man, would be the last man in the world to do anything ungentlemanly which injured modesty could object to or cast a stone at a girl who took the wrong turning when some dastard, responsible for her condition, had worked his own sweet will on her.
Source: wiktionary
1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, Book III, Canto One, Stanza 22, in The Faerie Queene, Books Three and Four, edited by Dorothy Stephens, Hackett, 2006, p. 13, Like dastard Curres, that having at a bay The salvage beast embost in wearie chace, Dare not adventure on the stubborne pray, Ne byte before, but rome from place to place, To get a snatch, when turned is his face.
Source: wiktionary
Showing 4 of 7 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "dastard"?
Closest matches include base, cad, chicken, coward, cowardly.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "dastard"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.