Definition

Describing actions that are cowardly and mean, often involving betrayal or trickery.

Example

The villain's dastardly plan was to betray his closest friends for personal gain.

Conversation

Did you hear about the dastardly prank they pulled on Mark?

Yeah, I can't believe they would go that far!

It really shows how some people can be so dastardly when they want to get a laugh.

Totally! It's just not cool to treat someone like that.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Dastardly → It is formed from 'dastard' (from Old French *dastard*, meaning a coward) and the suffix '-ly' (meaning in a manner of). The word 'dastardly' describes actions done in a cowardly manner.

Memory Tip

Think of someone acting like a 'coward' ('dastard') — the '-ly' means in that way, so dastardly means behaving in a cowardly way.

Visually Confused Words