namby–pamby

1 lacking in qualities that make for spirit and character she's such a namby-pamby nothing that it's no wonder she's never asked out Synonyms banal, flat, insipid, milk-and-water, namby-pamby, wateryRelated Words unexciting, uninspiring, unrewarding; bland, boring, drab, dreary, dry, dull, heavy, humdrum, jading, leaden, lifeless, monotonous, pedestrian, ponderous, tedious, tiresome, tiring, uninteresting, vapid, wearisome, weary, wearying; inane; innocuous, inoffensive; mild, soft, subdued, tame, weak; common, commonplace, ordinary, stale, unexceptionalNear Antonyms piquant, poignant, pungent, racy, spicy; meaty, substantial; entertaining, exciting, galvanizing, inspiring, invigorating, thrilling

2 lacking strength of will or character mocked namby-pamby intellectuals who endlessly debate the pros and cons of everything and invariably end up accomplishing nothing Synonyms characterless, effete, frail, invertebrate, limp-wristed, milk-and-water, namby-pamby, nerveless, soft, spineless, weakened, weak-kneed, weakling, wet [British], wimpish, wimpy, wishy-washyRelated Words flabby, flaccid, forceless, ineffective, ineffectual; impotent, impuissant, powerless; emasculated, unnerved; lamblike, meek, pliable, submissive; corrupt, dastardly, unprincipled, unscrupulous, villainous; cowardly, craven, fainthearted, lily-livered, nebbishy, poltroon, pusillanimous, sissy, timid; infirm, irresolute, vacillatingNear Antonyms ethical, good, moral, principled, right, righteous, upright, virtuous; determined, mettlesome, resolute, unrelenting; courageous, stalwart, stoutheartedAntonyms backboned, firm, hard, strong, tough

a person without strength of character those namby-pambies at city hall are never going to get serious about our crime problem Synonyms doormat, jellyfish, namby-pamby, pushover, reed, wimpRelated Words coward, milquetoast, mouse, nebbish, nervous Nellie (or nervous Nelly), pussy [slang], wuss (also wussy); sheepNear Antonyms menschAntonyms stalwart