milquetoast

1 of 2

noun

milque·​toast ˈmilk-ˌtōst 

: a timid, meek, or unassertive person

milquetoast

2 of 2

adjective

1

of a person : timid, meek, or unassertive

Do we really want a someone who is a milquetoast halfhearted candidate or someone who will defend the Constitution with every fiber of her being?

—Dana B. Orr

2

: lacking in character or vigor : wishy-washy

… after declining multiple opportunities to comment during the reporting of the story, he finally produced a most milquetoast statement Friday.

—Jerry Brewer

Did you know?

Why is it milquetoast, and not milk toast?

Caspar Milquetoast is a comic strip character created in 1924 by cartoonist Harold T. Webster. Beginning a few years after the character's debut, the term milquetoast came to describe a timid or meek person. Caspar's last name is fitting because milk toast is a weak, bland concoction of buttered toast served in a dish of warm milk.

Examples of milquetoast in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Factor in the current state of the Sox, and the milquetoast and malaise of their last several seasons, and the need for a young superstar savior is sky-high. —Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 30 May 2025

Lottie was running a pretty milquetoast self-help retreat. —Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025

Adjective

McNairy convincingly plays a maddeningly milquetoast character whose indecision infuriates his wife and, by extension, the audience. —Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 10 Sep. 2024

President Biden and Speaker McCarthy came to terms on a rather milquetoast bipartisan agreement to raise the debt ceiling. —David Harsanyi, National Review, 8 June 2023

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Caspar Milquetoast, comic strip character created by H. T. Webster †1952 American cartoonist

Adjective

from Caspar Milquetoast — more at milquetoast entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1935, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1931, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for milquetoast

• diagnosed
• easternmost
• innermost
• lowermost
• milepost
• northernmost
• outermost
• rearmost
• southernmost
• uppermost
• uttermost
• westernmost

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