1. Regarding how something is done or said with a lack of courage and determination: Janice wasn’t sure about joining the group of climbers, so she pusillanimously responded to their invitation by saying she had a headache and was not feeling well.
2. Relating to acting in a timorous, fearful, or frightened way; cowardly: The accused thief begged pusillanimously for mercy because he was about to be put into a prison cell with other prisoners.