nebbish

noun

Definition of nebbishnext
as in coward

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 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 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 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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nebbish
  1. coward
  2. milquetoast
  3. wuss
  4. mouse
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
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
  • This highly competent, obsessive duo tumbles into a self-destructive cat-and-mouse dynamic — but who’s the cat and who’s the mouse?
    — Sara Netzley, Entertainment Weekly, 2 July 2026
  • Some pest control companies might include them in general pest control, whereas others include them in higher-tier plans or offer rat and mouse extermination as an add-on specialty service.
    — Alora Bopray, USA Today, 1 July 2026
Definition of mouse

Browse Nearby Words

neb
nebbish
nebbishes
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

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