as in double
not being or expressing what one appears to be or express
a mealymouthed compliment from a jealous competitor
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Recent Examples of mealymouthed
The problem is that fears of getting yelled at on social media lead to the kind of mealymouthed compromise no one wants.
—
Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 21 Mar. 2025
But that word can be a mealymouthed way to describe housing that is still out of reach for low-income New Yorkers, and Won knows that better than most.
—Curbed, 23 Nov. 2022
The mealymouthed Dave Chappelle has even suggested that Ye’s turn to conspiracy thinking is an understandable reaction to Jewish prominence in Hollywood.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 2 Dec. 2022
Mixed messages threaten to undercut the impact of these PSAs, and soft targets can make for mealymouthed calls to action.
—Mac Schwerin, The Atlantic, 11 Nov. 2022
But Roman, so often indecisive and mealymouthed, calmly insists that there’s no need to worry about those things.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 7 Oct. 2019
Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 21 Mar. 2025
But that word can be a mealymouthed way to describe housing that is still out of reach for low-income New Yorkers, and Won knows that better than most.
—Curbed, 23 Nov. 2022
The mealymouthed Dave Chappelle has even suggested that Ye’s turn to conspiracy thinking is an understandable reaction to Jewish prominence in Hollywood.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 2 Dec. 2022
Mixed messages threaten to undercut the impact of these PSAs, and soft targets can make for mealymouthed calls to action.
—Mac Schwerin, The Atlantic, 11 Nov. 2022
But Roman, so often indecisive and mealymouthed, calmly insists that there’s no need to worry about those things.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 7 Oct. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mealymouthed
Adjective
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As Spain’s only double Oscar-qualifying animation festival, Animayo’s top honors serve as a launchpad to the Academy Awards.—
Jamie Lang,
Variety,
29 May 2025
-
She was born in Massachusetts to Nigerian immigrants and, as a teen, was an exceptional figure skater: one who could land double axels with a practiced ease that betrayed the intense commitment behind them.—
Daron James,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2025
Adjective
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Later, it's revealed that Phelps didn't die at all, and his fake death was a setup to frame Ethan.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
24 May 2025
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Bad actors had cloned his voice to make fake 911 calls about emergencies at rival locations.—
Daniel R. Depetris,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 May 2025
Adjective
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The woman is long gone, so Freer has to imagine her consent — in a history so full of gaps, coercion, and disappearance, a pretended connection is better than none at all.—
Helen Shaw,
Vulture,
28 Mar. 2022
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What most activates Dunn’s rage is the misogyny that only deepened amid all the pretended freedoms of the counterculture.—
Sam Sacks,
WSJ,
11 Nov. 2022
Adjective
-
By After Testing Over 30 Best Sellers By Siena Gagliano Unlike balms, which can make lip color slide around, a primer locks it in while keeping lips soft and comfortable.—
Christa Joanna Lee,
Allure,
2 Mar. 2025
-
For lip color, reach for the Merit Beauty Signature lipsticks.—
Loren Savini,
Allure,
22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The biggest obstacle for the two newcomers was staying true to the spirit of the iconic characters without having the voices become hollow impressions of Roiland’s performance across the first six seasons.—
Josh Weiss,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2025
-
Jokic wasn’t buying that his team was close, dismissing hollow praise for reaching a Game 7, while admitting the Nuggets need more depth to compete with OKC and the Timberwolves.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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His strained, sandpaper-coarse timbre served as an ideal conduit for songs concerned with boisterous revelries, shady agreements, licentious intentions and musical pleasures.—
Bob Gendron,
Chicago Tribune,
25 May 2025
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During a father-son fishing trip alongside Dawson and his dad (John Wesley Shipp), Pacey's strained relationship with his parent bubbles up.—
Jen Juneau,
People.com,
24 May 2025
Adjective
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Stone fruit: Stone fruits like peaches, plums, apricots, and pluots can become mealy when stored in the fridge.—
Catherine Jessee,
Southern Living,
6 Apr. 2025
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Food Storage No-Nos Storing Tomatoes In the Fridge While there are many ways to store tomatoes that people prefer for different reasons, storing tomatoes in the fridge can lead to a mealy texture and taste that certainly does not make the most of your tomatoes.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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That’s not a backhanded compliment, that’s more … RUSSELL The reality.—
Mikey O'Connell,
HollywoodReporter,
30 May 2025
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That sounds like a backhanded compliment, and the Scot’s technical quality shouldn’t be underestimated.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
18 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mealymouthed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mealymouthed. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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