milquetoast

noun

milque·toast | \ ˈmilk-ˌtōst

How to pronounce milquetoast (audio)

\

Definition of milquetoast

: a timid, meek, or unassertive person

Why is it milquetoast, and not milk toast? Example Sentences Learn More about milquetoast

Keep scrolling for more

Why is it milquetoast, and not milk toast?

Caspar Milquetoast was a comic strip character created in 1924 by the American cartoonist Harold T. Webster. The strip, called "The Timid Soul," ran every Sunday in the New York Herald Tribune for many years. Webster, who claimed that Milquetoast was a self-portrait, summed up the character as "the man who speaks softly and gets hit with a big stick." The earliest examples for Milquetoast used as a generic synonym for "timid person" date from the mid-1930s. Caspar's last name might remind you of "milk toast," a bland concoction of buttered toast served in a dish of warm milk.

Examples of milquetoast in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The hippest act Hess remembers playing at the Eisenhower White House was the milquetoast Fred Waring and his Pennsylvanians. — Wil Haygood, Town & Country, "The Best (and Worst) White House Parties of All Time," 1 Jan. 2013 There is something a little milquetoast and benign about that phrase. — New York Times, "Paul Rudd, Larger Than Life but Still Nice," 6 July 2018 The metamorphosis of milquetoast Neil Gorsuch has baffled people who’ve followed him for years. — James Hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: Romney threads the needle on Trump in Utah Senate debate," 30 May 2018 The metamorphosis of milquetoast Neil Gorsuch has baffled people who’ve followed him for years. — James Hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: Romney threads the needle on Trump in Utah Senate debate," 30 May 2018 The metamorphosis of milquetoast Neil Gorsuch has baffled people who’ve followed him for years. — James Hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: Romney threads the needle on Trump in Utah Senate debate," 30 May 2018 The metamorphosis of milquetoast Neil Gorsuch has baffled people who’ve followed him for years. — James Hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: Romney threads the needle on Trump in Utah Senate debate," 30 May 2018 People can sometimes mistake Nat’s music as this sweet, idealized milquetoast. — Howard Reich, chicagotribune.com, "Gregory Porter taps the music of Nat King Cole," 7 June 2018 The metamorphosis of milquetoast Neil Gorsuch has baffled people who’ve followed him for years. — James Hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: Romney threads the needle on Trump in Utah Senate debate," 30 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'milquetoast.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about milquetoast

Listen to Our Podcast about milquetoast

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Dictionary Entries near milquetoast

Statistics for milquetoast

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for milquetoast

The first known use of milquetoast was in 1935

See more words from the same year

Comments on milquetoast

What made you want to look up milquetoast? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

WORD OF THE DAY

bower

a shady place in a garden or forest

Test Your Vocabulary

Original Meanings Quiz

Which of the following is the earliest known sense of the word awe?

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

SCRABBLE® Sprint

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games