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
  • The mythmaking rebellion of Tekena, first of her name, for the sake of a coward’s love was as recognizable to her descendants as their need to cross borders, both ethnic and geographic, in search of a happiness that wasn’t promised.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Aug. 2026
  • In reality, the refs just do the bidding of the cowards behind the curtain.
    — Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 14 July 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
  • Years earlier at her former lab in Ohio, chromosomes in mouse eggs and embryos began dividing in bizarre ways, creating the kinds of genetic errors that can lead to Down syndrome and other chromosomal disorders.
    — Sandee LaMotte, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026
  • While the peptide’s risks and side effects are few, and its effects on mouse metabolism compelling, no one knows how long-term use affects humans yet, or what formula or dosage would be most effective.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 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 10 Aug. 2026.

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