nebbish

noun

Definition of nebbishnext
as in coward

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of nebbish At the film’s Cipriani afterparty, the New York Times’ Kyle Buchanan compared the Babygirl effect to what Challengers did for Josh O’Connor, who’d previously played nice guys and nebbishes. — Nate Jones, Vulture, 31 Aug. 2024 Is the algorithm going to make the out-of-shape nebbish standup an endangered species? — Jason Zinoman, New York Times, 15 Nov. 2023 Playing a harried but devoted father is a new look for the actor who is frequently typecast as an unlikeable nebbish. — Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 17 Nov. 2022 Sievert plays Seymour, the lovestruck florist-shop nebbish who unexpectedly becomes the caretaker of a carnivorous and increasingly hungry hunk of vegetation. — Jim Higgins, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 15 Nov. 2021 For better or worse Eddie remains an antic nebbish, while Venom huffs and puffs with unquenchable indignation at the sorry state of the human world. — Joe Morgenstern, WSJ, 30 Sep. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nebbish
  1. coward
  2. milquetoast
  3. wuss
  4. mouse
Noun
  • But Coyote has hitched his hopes for the mammoth case upon a man who could only be called a coward.
    — Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The pundits feasted on her neutrality, most venomously Megyn Kelly, who called her a coward.
    — Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of coward
Noun
  • And Benjamin Cole is a likable milquetoast as Sarah’s original boyfriend, Chris.
    — Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Apr. 2026
  • By all accounts, being a milquetoast is a sort of vice—cowardice masquerading as prudence.
    — Nikhil Krishnan, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
Definition of milquetoast
Noun
  • Supporters of the Republican candidate, state Attorney General Ken Paxton, portray Democrats as wusses, cucks, soy boys who don’t follow sports.
    — Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 5 June 2026
  • Henry is a megalomaniac and a complete wuss.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 23 Feb. 2026
Definition of wuss
Noun
  • Reuters said March and April reports of impending layoffs and Meta tracking employees’ keyboard and mouse input in order to train AI agents (Meta has since paused the program) hurt employee morale.
    — Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 26 Aug. 2026
  • With more than two decades of professional experience, Terry Guido has built a notable career in image analysis of mouse models with Alzheimer’s-like pathology.
    — Lyssanoel Frater, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of mouse

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Cite this Entry

“Nebbish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nebbish. Accessed 31 Aug. 2026.

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