1
as in bland
lacking in qualities that make for spirit and character
this story is too wishy-washy; you need to add some verve to it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in weak
lacking strength of will or character
in a time of crisis the nation can ill afford wishy-washy leaders
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 wishy-washy
Much of the recent coverage cites wishy-washy export signals as having a major effect on Nvidia’s stock with the on-again, off-again nature of H20 sales to the Middle Kingdom shaking things up.
—
John Werner, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Would things be so wishy-washy if a Bravo employee who was not on camera behaved in the same way to a coworker?
—William Earl, Variety, 30 July 2025
And then he was wishy-washy, went back and forth, and she was deceived and disappointed by him.
—Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 15 July 2025
While Hollywood was doing its best to evade or outright ignore the mostly wishy-washy efforts of the MPPDA to regulate throughout the 1920s, a figure was rising in the Midwest who would change all that.
—Literary Hub, 24 June 2025
Meanwhile, Minneapolis' Twin Cities Pride rejected Target's sponsorship dollars citing wishy-washy support of the LGBTQ+ community and its DEI rollbacks.
—Eleanor Hawkins, Axios, 8 May 2025
Even last season, with a wishy-washy regular-season defense, Indiana allowed the lowest 3-point attempt rate in the NBA, according to Cleaning The Glass.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 2 May 2025
Worry less about appearing wishy-washy as Mercury goes retrograde.
—USA TODAY, 15 Mar. 2025
John Werner, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Would things be so wishy-washy if a Bravo employee who was not on camera behaved in the same way to a coworker?
—William Earl, Variety, 30 July 2025
And then he was wishy-washy, went back and forth, and she was deceived and disappointed by him.
—Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 15 July 2025
While Hollywood was doing its best to evade or outright ignore the mostly wishy-washy efforts of the MPPDA to regulate throughout the 1920s, a figure was rising in the Midwest who would change all that.
—Literary Hub, 24 June 2025
Meanwhile, Minneapolis' Twin Cities Pride rejected Target's sponsorship dollars citing wishy-washy support of the LGBTQ+ community and its DEI rollbacks.
—Eleanor Hawkins, Axios, 8 May 2025
Even last season, with a wishy-washy regular-season defense, Indiana allowed the lowest 3-point attempt rate in the NBA, according to Cleaning The Glass.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 2 May 2025
Worry less about appearing wishy-washy as Mercury goes retrograde.
—USA TODAY, 15 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wishy-washy
Adjective
-
The new Spot+Scrub Ai is the complete opposite and comparatively bland, thanks to its all-black exterior.—
Tyler Hayes,
PC Magazine,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Food made by white people is often associated with and critiqued for being bland and unseasoned.—
Marni Rose McFall,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The Royals made a lot of weak contact, which resulted in a mix of groundouts.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Last week, a weaker-than-expected jobs report added to expectations of an imminent rate cut by the central bank.—
Chloe Taylor,
CNBC,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Historically, tracking demand for electricity was a boring task marked by little to no change.—
Matt Egan,
CNN Money,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Uranus has already been demanding freedom in your day-to-day, pushing you to ditch boring structures.—
Dossé-Via Trenou,
Refinery29,
31 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Minor gastrointestinal discomfort is probably the most common symptom; however, pathogens that may cause only minor sickness in some people may cause serious conditions or death in others, especially in the very young, old, or those with weakened immune systems.—
Jalen Williams,
Freep.com,
29 Aug. 2025
-
Infections can be severe in young children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems, who may require hospitalization.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
On the road, the Murano sidesteps the insipid CVT vibe of the past.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
17 Aug. 2025
-
Callahan’s baritone is rich and full, but the rest of the instrumentation feels insipid.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
29 July 2025
Adjective
-
Traditional shades of red and green remain present, but they’re joined by bubble gum pink and soft blue for a more eclectic palette.—
Elizabeth Fogarty,
Better Homes & Gardens,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Tejasvi designed it with large-font type to make text easier to see and read, and a soft, blue theme intended to be soothing to people who may come to the site fresh from a scam and be fearful or frazzled.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Horror of this scale has the effect of deadening words, making stories of the most unimaginable violence land with a dull thud.—
Jack Sheehan
September 4,
Literary Hub,
4 Sep. 2025
-
The water wasn’t quite as hot as the Braun, and the coffee was just a hair duller in taste.—
Noah Kaufman,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The routine can be tiring because both are raising young children.—
Sophie Carson,
jsonline.com,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Since travel can be tiring, Candow doubles his dose to 20 grams to counter jet lag from international trips.—
Matt Fuchs,
Time,
2 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wishy-washy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wishy-washy. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share