as in double
not being or expressing what one appears to be or express
a mealymouthed compliment from a jealous competitor
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Recent Examples of mealymouthed
The problem is that fears of getting yelled at on social media lead to the kind of mealymouthed compromise no one wants.
—
Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 21 Mar. 2025
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
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
Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 21 Mar. 2025
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mealymouthed
Adjective
-
For some Obamacare beneficiaries, premiums are expected to more than double, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation (aka KFF), a nonprofit health care research organization.—
Todd Spangler,
Freep.com,
4 Oct. 2025
-
On the morning of June 3, Pandora's mother, Simone Kjolsrud, told The Republic that on May 26, the pair were victims of a double homicide while the teens were on a camping trip.—
Julie Mendes,
AZCentral.com,
3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Methanol is an industrial chemical that can cause nerve and liver damage and is sometimes found in fake or poorly distilled alcohol.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
5 Oct. 2025
-
Aside from games like volleyball and dominoes, Gach says some children stage fake ambushes on one another while pretending to be government forces or rebel fighters.—
Juliana Kim,
NPR,
5 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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What most activates Dunn’s rage is the misogyny that only deepened amid all the pretended freedoms of the counterculture.—
Sam Sacks,
WSJ,
11 Nov. 2022
-
The woman is long gone, so Freer has to imagine her consent — in a history so full of gaps, coercion, and disappearance, a pretended connection is better than none at all.—
Helen Shaw,
Vulture,
28 Mar. 2022
Adjective
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The pop of color offers a shimmer-free (rare!) means of warming up a wedding look and works equally well at lip level.—
Calin Van Paris,
Vogue,
12 Aug. 2025
-
By After Testing Over 30 Best Sellers By Siena Gagliano Unlike balms, which can make lip color slide around, a primer locks it in while keeping lips soft and comfortable.—
Christa Joanna Lee,
Allure,
2 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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But in reality, the facility utilizes physical and psychological torture to break the kids down, turning them into hollow shells who will gladly submit themselves to the institute’s leader, Evelyn Wade (Toni Collette).—
Keith Langston,
PEOPLE,
26 Sep. 2025
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Chad Powers is hollow and unconvincing — especially the hints of Russ’ self-improvement and the inevitable vague flirtations between Chad and Ricky — but what if it’s all supposed to be hollow and unconvincing?—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Qatar is deepening its presence in Egypt after more than a decade of strained ties.—
Manal Albarakati,
semafor.com,
6 Oct. 2025
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Reports about father and son’s strained relationship have been everywhere of late.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
6 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Nearly 25 years later, North is just as bad as Ebert wrote, an astoundingly wrongheaded concept executed in the most mealy-mouthed, limp way possible.—
Will Leitch,
Vulture,
13 Sep. 2025
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The solution is a two-pronged approach 1) to control the ants and 2) to wash away the scale, mealy bugs, and aphids.—
Nan Sterman,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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This biting insult about nails Cristal is queen of the backhanded compliment.—
Andrea Wurzburger,
PEOPLE,
22 Sep. 2025
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Still, Pet Sematary is surprisingly, enjoyably watchable, which is a bit of a backhanded compliment for an adaptation of something so dark.—
James Grebey,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mealymouthed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mealymouthed. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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