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pablum

noun

pab·​lum ˈpa-bləm How to pronounce pablum (audio)

Examples of pablum in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Their happiness is suspect because it’s fed by pablum. Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 14 Nov. 2025 That online comment was characteristic of the usual sanctimonious pablum, the kind of casual moral high ground afforded only to a native English speaker or to someone willfully ignorant of the daily indignities non-native speakers face. Sheon Han, Wired News, 27 Oct. 2025 At the time, his comments were widely dismissed in both U.S. and European policy circles as either populist pablum or unnecessarily provocative. Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 June 2025 When any Democratic politician, including Gov. JB Pritzker, dares to stand up to extreme Republican rhetoric with any language beyond polite pablum and pious platitudes, pundits tell Democrats to lower the volume, cut the contempt and be nice. Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for pablum

Word History

Etymology

from Pablum, a trademark for an infant cereal

First Known Use

1932, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pablum was in 1932

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Cite this Entry

“Pablum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pablum. Accessed 3 Dec. 2025.

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