as in milquetoast
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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
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
-
Factor in the current state of the Sox, and the milquetoast and malaise of their last several seasons, and the need for a young superstar savior is sky-high.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
30 May 2025
-
Lottie was running a pretty milquetoast self-help retreat.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
31 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
With rising apprehension, the Cabinet kept deliberating for a couple of days while Sumner did his best to shut down jingoistic rhetoric in the Senate from politicians who demanded that Lincoln not be a coward in the face of Great Britain.—
Zaakir Tameez
June 11,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2025
-
Because these cowards fear being doxed for their inhumane and unconscionable actions.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
10 June 2025
Noun
-
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
-
Teach, who carries a gun, is a wuss about the rain.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
14 Apr. 2022
Noun
-
Importantly, even when the mice were switched back to a healthy diet for 24 weeks, many of the problems persisted.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
21 June 2025
-
For example, places where mice and rats are the most abundant scavengers are more vulnerable to outbreaks of illnesses like the bacterial disease leptospirosis and the diarrhea-causing cryptosporidiosis.—
Sarah Kuta,
Smithsonian Magazine,
18 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nebbish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nebbish. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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