mealymouthed

adjective

mealy·​mouthed ˈmē-lē-ˌmau̇t͟hd 

-ˌmau̇tht

: not plain and straightforward : devious

a mealymouthed politician

Synonyms

• artificial
• backhanded
• counterfeit
• double
• double-dealing
• double-faced
• fake
• feigned
• hypocritical
• insincere
• Janus-faced
• jive [slang]
• left-handed
• lip
• mealy
• Pecksniffian
• phony
• phoney
• phony-baloney
• phoney-baloney
• pretended
• two-faced
• unctuous

Examples of mealymouthed in a Sentence

a mealymouthed compliment from a jealous competitor

Recent Examples on the Web

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

Word History

First Known Use

1577, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

mealymouthed

adjective

mealy·​mouthed ˌmē-lē-ˈmau̇t͟hd 

-ˈmau̇tht

: not plain and sincere in speech

a mealymouthed speaker