From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcravencra‧ven /ˈkreɪvən/ adjective BRAVE formal completely lacking courage SYN cowardly He had a craven fear of flying. —cravenly adverb
Examples from the Corpus
craven• It was more than Wexford's life was worth to admit his craven fear of the lift.• For a craven moment she was tempted to go back and throw herself on the mercy of the landlady.• That was why he had voiced this craven option; soas to witness it vanishing.• At times like this the back row inclined to craven panic.• And most are simply too craven to steal.Origin craven (1100-1200) Perhaps from Old French crevant, present participle of crever “to burst, break” 