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
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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
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of namby-pamby
John B. Judis, The New Republic, 19 Mar. 2023
Adjective
Walzer’s dissent was namby-pamby.
—John B. Judis, The New Republic, 19 Mar. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for namby-pamby
Adjective
-
From a thriving artisanal craft tradition to a slate of luxury hospitality openings, Mallorca has a lot to offer these days to debunk its onetime reputation as a bland resort outpost.—
Elly Leavitt,
Vogue,
18 Mar. 2026
-
The show also features bravura performances from Mark McGrath and Pat O’Brien skewering their bland TV-presenter personas.—
Eric Vilas-Boas,
Vulture,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
What can’t be easily seen or measured but can impact recovery as much as a weak muscle or stiff joint are the psychological aspects.—
Ian McMahan,
New York Times,
21 Mar. 2026
-
After the worst of it, a similar but weaker storm was forecast to bring more rain through this weekend.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
John Cornyn is a coward who has refused to support abolishing the filibuster to pass this bill.—
Jack Fink,
CBS News,
8 Mar. 2026
-
John Cornyn is a coward who has refused to support abolishing the filibuster to pass this bill.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The rooms Forget boring beiges and personality-less whites.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
18 Mar. 2026
-
This is a boring line of logic to keep hammering as the season drags on.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The team is also developing a next-generation robotic hand to address swelling in harder-to-treat areas, expanding the potential of soft-robotic therapy beyond wearable sleeves.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Mar. 2026
-
The silky formula layers easily with the rest of your routine and leaves skin with that soft, luminous glass glow K-beauty is famous for.—
Christa Joanna Lee,
Allure,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Advertisement Similarly, no one is going to think Mullin is a wimp.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Eventually Sutton calls Amanda a wimp for not wanting any part of any confrontation, and Amanda tells her not to call her a wimp in her own home.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Back-to-back insipid losses to Brighton & Hove Albion and Nottingham Forest, which remain the low points of this campaign, had seen confidence on the terraces drain away.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
2 Mar. 2026
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Even the most insipid formulaic pop nonsense can induce that almost mystical reflection of life if your connections to the time of its airplay are meaningful.—
Jody Mamone,
Hartford Courant,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
That would leave a weakened but embittered regime possibly more determined than ever to make a nuclear bomb – and still with the material and much of the knowledge and equipment needed to do so.—
Matthew Bunn,
The Conversation,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Despite withering airstrikes, officials see a weakened but more hard-line government in Tehran, backed by the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps security forces.—
Ellen Nakashima,
Washington Post,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Namby-pamby.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/namby-pamby. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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