namby-pamby 1 of 2

adjective

ˌnam-bē-ˈpam-bē How to pronounce namby-pamby (audio)
Definition of namby-pambynext
1
as in bland
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 & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in weak
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 & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

namby-pamby

2 of 2

noun

as in coward
a person without strength of character those namby-pambies at city hall are never going to get serious about our crime problem

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for namby-pamby
  1. bland
  2. weak
  3. coward
  4. boring
  5. soft
  6. wimp
  7. insipid
  8. weakened
Adjective
  • But together, the whole is blander than the sum of its parts—a subtle banality humans can often implicitly sense.
    — Sam Macdonald, Scientific American, 29 June 2026
  • The smallest pieces will turn a bland outfit into an Instagram-worthy moment.
    — Emma Greene, InStyle, 26 June 2026
Definition of bland
Adjective
  • Following a year of historically weak hiring in 2025, hiring rebounded this spring.
    — Rachel Barber, USA Today, 2 July 2026
  • In a weak free-agency class, centers Robert Williams III (Portland) and Mark Williams (Phoenix) are already off the market, each reportedly agreeing to return to their current teams.
    — Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
Definition of weak
Noun
  • That’s the sign of a true coward.
    — Maria Bamford, Vulture, 23 June 2026
  • Fishback showed up at a Donalds campaign event in Lake City on Saturday with a bunch of supporters, shouting through a bullhorn that Donalds was a coward for not debating him and telling him to go back to New York, a reference to Donalds’ childhood in Brooklyn.
    — Jeffrey Schweers, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 June 2026
Definition of coward
Adjective
  • Far fewer people stay responsible when the work turns boring, unclear or inconvenient, and that's precisely when ownership surfaces.
    — Somdutta Singh, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • Monocultures can be boring, but on the flipside, a huge collection of individual species looks like a busy bowl of potpourri.
    — Luke Miller, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 June 2026
Definition of boring
Adjective
  • Play soft music to drown out fireworks blasts and give your pet something to do, like putting treats inside an interactive toy, to keep them calm and happy.
    — Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2026
  • This relaxed pick is incredibly soft, really cute, and surprisingly easy to style.
    — Annie Blackman, InStyle, 3 July 2026
Definition of soft
Noun
  • For the anarchic, nearly surreal nature of the bits that make legendary cinematic daredevils ranging from Buster Keaton to Jackie Chan seem like wimps.
    — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 25 June 2026
  • And this name sounds like a wimp to me.
    — Kathleen Perricone, Entertainment Weekly, 22 May 2026
Definition of wimp
Adjective
  • That’s how long Thomas Tuchel’s team waited to produce a lifeless and insipid performance against Ghana that prompted many to re-evaluate the Three Lions’ chances of winning the whole thing this summer.
    — Graham Ruthven, New York Times, 26 June 2026
  • Faced with insipid economic growth, politicians have not taken the action necessary to spark a resurgence, such as capital and digital markets reform, lower levels of regulation and lower business taxes.
    — Kamal Ahmed, Fortune, 21 May 2026
Definition of insipid
Adjective
  • The bacterium can also lead to hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious complication that is more common in young children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems, according to the release.
    — Chiara Kim, PEOPLE, 6 July 2026
  • While anyone can get sick, young children, older adults, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to become seriously ill.
    — Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 July 2026
Definition of weakened
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.

Browse Nearby Words

namby-pambies
namby-pamby
name
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

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

Cite this Entry

“Namby-pamby.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/namby-pamby. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gambol

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All