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spineless

[spahyn-lis] / ˈspaɪn lɪs /


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"The process they've used to get to three is spineless and it's all been done behind closed doors," she said.

From BBC • Feb. 12, 2026

“Maybe people do it out of desperation,” she told me, “but it’s spineless and demoralizing.”

From Slate • Jan. 20, 2026

As per Margaret Hartmann with New York Magazine's Intelligencer, the gift is "peak spineless groveling."

From Salon • Jan. 15, 2025

But they and other invertebrates are the spineless backbones of ecosystems, playing critical roles as pollinators, predators, prey and decomposers.

From New York Times • May 28, 2024

Once or twice she had seen the father furtively slip the child an extra morsel from his plate, but he was plainly too spineless to stand up for her against his shrew of a wife.

From "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare