1
as in bland
lacking in qualities that make for spirit and character
she's such a namby-pamby nothing that it's no wonder she's never asked out
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in weak
lacking strength of will or character
mocked namby-pamby intellectuals who endlessly debate the pros and cons of everything and invariably end up accomplishing nothing
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in coward
a person without strength of character
those namby-pambies at city hall are never going to get serious about our crime problem
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Recent Examples of namby-pamby
John B. Judis, The New Republic, 19 Mar. 2023
Adjective
Walzer’s dissent was namby-pamby.
—John B. Judis, The New Republic, 19 Mar. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for namby-pamby
Adjective
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The team initially struggled, and so did Saleh’s defense, which in 2018 was criticized for being too bland and at times too discombobulated.—
Matt Barrows,
The Athletic,
24 Jan. 2025
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Compelling subject matter only goes so far when presented in such a bland, familiar manner.—
Vikram Murthi,
IndieWire,
24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The team continues to play great with a different weak spot each season, so maybe that’s part of the excitement and drama of being a fan of the franchise now. · 5h 1m ago Thanks Chandler, good stuff as always.—
Chandler Rome,
The Athletic,
22 Jan. 2025
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Its economy is already facing a deepening malaise, brought on by a property crisis, mounting government debt and weak consumer spending.—
David Pierson,
New York Times,
22 Jan. 2025
Noun
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But then Gi-hun could die looking down on him as both a dog and a coward.—
Jennifer Zhan,
Vulture,
26 Dec. 2024
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The Vikings are cowards who didn't take a viking ship.—
Nick Suss,
The Tennessean,
4 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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The entire family is outraged, but Peter insists that the film is slow, boring and essentially, overrated.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes,
22 Jan. 2025
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Recently, Jennifer Lopez has been a big fan of natural manicures, which are anything but boring.—
Lea Hüttinger,
Glamour,
20 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Downy refers to the soft, white feathers located on a white stripe down its back.—
Sheryl De Vore,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Jan. 2025
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What does a whole-of-society approach look like in leveraging U.S. soft power?—
Tara Sonenshine,
Baltimore Sun,
21 Jan. 2025
Noun
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But the character, in Groening’s view, turned out to be a wimp.—
Darryn King,
Vulture,
17 Dec. 2024
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The hard labor of making Wabanaki baskets Wabanaki basket-making isn’t for wimps.—
Debra Utacia Krol,
USA TODAY,
29 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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At the far extreme, there is the insipid libertarianism of Ron Paul, the former Texas representative, who has claimed that Marine detachments guarding U.S. embassies count as examples of military overstretch.—
Bret Stephens,
Foreign Affairs,
5 Feb. 2013
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The blandly positive lyrics seemed even more insipid amid all the bedroom jams.—
Eric Webb,
Austin American-Statesman,
1 June 2024
Noun
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Tinkerbell, who is seen as somewhat of a weakling in the Shrek films, is flattened against a lantern in the land which is also home to props previously only seen digitally on screen.—
Caroline Reid,
Forbes,
18 Jan. 2025
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What cinches this daring perspective is actor Andrew Scott’s phenomenal characterization as a weakling who grapples with gradual self-awareness.—
Armond White,
National Review,
29 Dec. 2023
Thesaurus Entries Near namby-pamby
Cite this Entry
“Namby-pamby.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/namby-pamby. Accessed 31 Jan. 2025.
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