namby-pamby
namby-pamby · more namby-pamby · most namby-pamby
Insipid and sentimentalInsipid and sentimental.
US/nˈæmbipˈæmbi/
Meaning
2 sensesInsipid and sentimental.
Lacking vigor or decisiveness; spineless; wishy-washy.
More definitions
- lacking courage or vitality
Translations
3 languagesOrigin
From the poem Namby-Pamby (1726) by Henry Carey, a satire on the sentimental pastorals ofFrom the poem Namby-Pamby (1726) by Henry Carey, a satire on the sentimental pastorals of the poet Ambrose Phillips.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
more namby-pamby/namby-pambier, most namby-pamby/namby-pambiest| Comparative | more namby-pamby / namby-pambier Lesson |
|---|---|
| Superlative | most namby-pamby / namby-pambiest Lesson |
regular
Synonyms
3 synonymsClose in meaning
- lacking courage or vitality:gutlessspinelesswishy-washy
Word family
2 related wordsLessons for this word
2 lessons- A2Comparatives — Because it has a comparative form
- A2Superlatives — Because it has a superlative form
See also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.