namby-pamby
[ nam-bee-pam-bee ]
/ ˈnæm biˈpæm bi /
adjective
without firm methods or policy; weak or indecisive: namby-pamby handling of juvenile offenders.
lacking in character, directness, or moral or emotional strength: namby-pamby writing.
weakly sentimental, pretentious, or affected; insipid.
noun, plural nam·by-pam·bies for 4.
a namby-pamby person: written by and for namby-pambies.
namby-pamby sentiment: the harmless namby-pamby of a birthday card.
namby-pamby verse or prose.
Origin of namby-pamby
First recorded in 1726; rhyming compound based on the first syllable of
Ambrose Philips; first used as a nickname for Philips in the title of a poem by Henry Carey (1687?–1743) ridiculing his verse
OTHER WORDS FROM namby-pamby
nam·by-pam·bi·ness, nam·by-pam·by·ism, noun nam·by-pam·by·ish, adjectiveWords nearby namby-pamby
namangan,
namaqualand,
namas kar,
namaste,
namaycush,
namby-pamby,
name,
name after,
name day,
name is mud, one's,
name names
Example sentences from the Web for namby-pamby
British Dictionary definitions for namby-pamby
namby-pamby
/ (ˌnæmbɪˈpæmbɪ) /
adjective
sentimental or prim in a weak insipid way
namby-pamby manners
clinging, feeble, or spineless
a namby-pamby child
noun plural -bies
a person who is namby-pamby
Word Origin for namby-pamby
C18: a nickname of Ambrose Phillips (died 1749), whose pastoral verse was ridiculed for being insipid