1
: free from spines, thorns, or prickles
2
a
: having no spinal column : invertebrate
b
: lacking strength of character
spinelessly
adverb
spinelessness
noun
Synonyms
Examples of spineless in a Sentence
a spineless man who let his wife make all the decisions
spineless seamen who trembled at the first roar of the cannon
Recent Examples on the Web
To the grave disappointment of the Iranian people and government, Europe has proved too inept and spineless to mitigate the effect of U.S. withdrawal by honoring its commitments under the JCPOA.
—
Seyed Hossein Mousavian, Foreign Affairs, 12 July 2019
There was a time when the department would have pushed back on such drivel, but with a spineless, left-lib commissioner, that didn’t happen.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 26 Mar. 2024
The ceremony honors achievements, not in which film had the most spineless husband, but the film arts and technology, with Oppenheimer nabbing 13 nominations, followed by Poor Thingsat its heels with 11 nods.
—Zoe Guy, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2024
As events veer into seemingly dangerous territory, Baker spices up the scenes with throwaway humor that keeps the film buoyant, even as Ani gets a rude awakening about the shallowness of spineless Ivan’s feelings for her, let alone his respect.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for spineless 
Seyed Hossein Mousavian, Foreign Affairs, 12 July 2019
There was a time when the department would have pushed back on such drivel, but with a spineless, left-lib commissioner, that didn’t happen.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 26 Mar. 2024
The ceremony honors achievements, not in which film had the most spineless husband, but the film arts and technology, with Oppenheimer nabbing 13 nominations, followed by Poor Thingsat its heels with 11 nods.
—Zoe Guy, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2024
As events veer into seemingly dangerous territory, Baker spices up the scenes with throwaway humor that keeps the film buoyant, even as Ani gets a rude awakening about the shallowness of spineless Ivan’s feelings for her, let alone his respect.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for spineless
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spineless.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Spineless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spineless. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
spineless
adjective
spine·less
ˈspīn-ləs 
1
: having no spines, thorns, or prickles
2
a
: having no backbone : invertebrate
b
: lacking spirit, courage, or determination
spinelessly
adverb
spinelessness
noun
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