backboneless

English

Etymology

backbone +‎ -less

Adjective

backboneless (not comparable)

  1. (literally) Without a backbone; invertebrate.
    Antonym: backboned
    • 1897, Richard Marsh, The Beetle:
      Once, like a drunken man, I lurched forward, and fell upon my knees. Such was my backboneless state that for some seconds I remained where I was, half disposed to let things slide, accept the good the gods had sent me, and make a night of it just there.
  2. (figuratively) Cowardly, spineless.

Derived terms

Translations
without a backbone — see invertebrate,‎ spineless
cowardly — see spineless
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