also: きょじゃく
Literary or formal term for cowardice or weakness of spirit. Not used in everyday conversation; more common in written or classical contexts.
His cowardly attitude foreshadowed defeat even before the battle.
Standard kanji form. The reading きょうじゃく is more common than きょじゃく.
Alternate reading; less common and may be considered archaic or non-standard.
Compound of 怯 (fear, cowardice) and 弱 (weakness). The exact historical derivation is uncertain; the spelling is conventionally associated with the meaning of cowardice or timidity.