nebbish

Definition of nebbishnext

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 The assassins pursuing him there include a bounty hunter called Mr. Nobody (Shamier Anderson), who shows up with his beloved dog (a cheeky reference back to the premise of the first John Wick movie), and a nasty nebbish called Chidi (Marko Zaror). Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2023 Played by Allen, Leonard Zelig is a nebbish of genius. Mark Feeney, BostonGlobe.com, 5 Jan. 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 Marty the nebbish, Ike the shyster, Phyllis the shrew. Judy Berman, Time, 8 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
Noun
  • Across 17 tracks, Amos positions herself as both conqueror and coward, exploring how the greed and individualism of modern society has allowed tech feudalists and 21st-century robber barons to make out like kings.
    Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 1 May 2026
  • The Chicago Fraternal Order of Police president calling the mayor a coward doesn’t keep a single teenager off the street.
    Louis Martinez, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2026
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
Noun
  • Henry is a megalomaniac and a complete wuss.
    Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 23 Feb. 2026
  • Of the two sisters in the yellow house, Paula is a much gentler girl, a wuss, a baby, the biggest chicken—that’s how her sister thinks of her—and Rhonda is the boss.
    Alex Mar, Rolling Stone, 25 Mar. 2023
Noun
  • Cleaning out a cabin after the winter — sweeping up mouse droppings — has been associated with hantavirus cases in the United States.
    Helen Branswell, STAT, 7 May 2026
  • Drew and his team ran computer simulations of fluid’s motion in and around mouse brains.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Nebbish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nebbish. Accessed 13 May. 2026.

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