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
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of wishy-washy
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
Though perhaps that ambiguity is also the result of some wishy-washy writing.
—Shannon Keating, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2025
Worry less about appearing wishy-washy as Mercury goes retrograde.
—USA TODAY, 15 Mar. 2025
Read: His daughter was America’s first measles death in a decade
Kennedy’s wishy-washy comments about the measles vaccine may persuade more parents not to vaccinate their children—which means that more children will get sick, and perhaps die.
—Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2025
Nor did anyone blink when Shonda Rhimes set Scandal within the White House of a wishy-washy, adulterous GOP President who’d unwittingly stolen an election.
—Judy Berman, TIME, 20 Feb. 2025
Lewis Lupton Photo: Bravo/Vincent Cerone/Bravo Bosun Below Deck Adventure
Season 1
—
Usually bosuns are too overbearing, but this one was too wishy-washy.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 31 Dec. 2024
Not wishy-washy George Clooney, not low-life Mark Ruffalo, not obnoxious Edward Norton, not freaky boho Johnny Depp, not wimpy Ryan Gosling or nondescript Glen Powell.
—Armond White, National Review, 18 Dec. 2024
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
Though perhaps that ambiguity is also the result of some wishy-washy writing.
—Shannon Keating, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2025
Worry less about appearing wishy-washy as Mercury goes retrograde.
—USA TODAY, 15 Mar. 2025
Read: His daughter was America’s first measles death in a decade
Kennedy’s wishy-washy comments about the measles vaccine may persuade more parents not to vaccinate their children—which means that more children will get sick, and perhaps die.
—Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2025
Nor did anyone blink when Shonda Rhimes set Scandal within the White House of a wishy-washy, adulterous GOP President who’d unwittingly stolen an election.
—Judy Berman, TIME, 20 Feb. 2025
Lewis Lupton Photo: Bravo/Vincent Cerone/Bravo Bosun Below Deck Adventure
Season 1
—
Usually bosuns are too overbearing, but this one was too wishy-washy.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 31 Dec. 2024
Not wishy-washy George Clooney, not low-life Mark Ruffalo, not obnoxious Edward Norton, not freaky boho Johnny Depp, not wimpy Ryan Gosling or nondescript Glen Powell.
—Armond White, National Review, 18 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wishy-washy
Adjective
-
But products also became more bland, predictable and stripped of individuality.—
Wolfgang Messner,
The Conversation,
2 June 2025
-
The show never figures out what to do with Alvarez’s Gael, leaving a bland center to several more of those twists in the last episode.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
That kind of hypocrisy on self-enrichment could become a weak point for the GOP and a clear opening for Democrats to attack.—
Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 June 2025
-
Neurologists worried that the urban environment, factory work and office jobs, and other modern pressures were making men tired, indecisive, and physically weak.—
Time,
Time,
3 June 2025
Adjective
-
Some people assume that longtime married couples are boring, but my husband has never bored me.—
Seija Rankin,
HollywoodReporter,
4 June 2025
-
Spectators perceive tennis outfits as plain, boring, rigid or limited to a specific silhouette.—
Ruth Etiesit Samuel,
Essence,
2 June 2025
Adjective
-
Brazil were insipid at last summer’s Copa America and have gone downhill since.—
Jack Lang,
New York Times,
16 May 2025
-
Little Dog asks, an insipid comparison that illuminates only the fungibility of abstract nouns.—
Andrea Long Chu,
Vulture,
6 May 2025
Adjective
-
While investors remain hopeful for a soft landing for the U.S. economy, how severe could the situation become if another recession occurs?—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
2 June 2025
-
Their texture is soft and literally melts in your mouth.—
Ann Taylor Pittman,
Southern Living,
2 June 2025
Adjective
-
The bittersweet result didn’t dull a remarkable career and legacy for Kelly.—
Patrick Z. McGavin,
Chicago Tribune,
31 May 2025
-
But the drama can be very stolid, borderline dull at times.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
24 May 2025
Adjective
-
These guys have been touring for decades, never tiring of playing the hits even while steadily putting out albums full of new material.—
Emily Palmer Heller,
Vulture,
2 June 2025
-
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle sustains this tiring play style by deploying a 10-man rotation, allowing his players to stay fresh throughout high-intensity games.—
Fiifi Frimpong,
New York Daily News,
30 May 2025
Adjective
-
The opening moments cement its tonal dissonance as, with a twang of Daniel Kowalski’s spare, uneasy score, a brief prologue with fire, a flailing figure and mutterings about Satan snaps to a far more banal view of an empty street lined with dim, shuttered houses under a low, gray sky.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
30 May 2025
-
In general, this case presents no special facts or legal circumstances, only the banal horror of a man being wrongfully loaded onto a bus and sent back to a county where he was allegedly just raped and kidnapped.—
James Bickerton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wishy-washy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wishy-washy. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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