(adjective)

1. cowardly or craven.
2. unfaithful, disloyal or traitorous.

(noun)

1. a coward.
2. an apostate, traitor or renegade.

word’s encounter: in quite an interesting article on Soeharto’s legacy by Paul Keating, who lexically enriched Australia on a previous occasion with his describing Mahathir as recalcitrant many years ago.

word’s use: do you think fewer people would be aware of the undesirability of Peter Craven’s surname if it were Recreant instead?