wishy-washy
Americanadjective
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lacking in decisiveness; without strength or character; irresolute.
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washy or watery, as a liquid; thin and weak.
adjective
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lacking in substance, force, colour, etc
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watery; thin
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of wishy-washy
First recorded in 1685–95; gradational compound based on washy
Explanation
If you're wishy-washy, you're not determined or resolute, but instead act in a way that's weak or uncertain. A politician might give wishy-washy answers to difficult questions, so you're left not really knowing where they stand. Use the adjective wishy-washy when you describe something that's either wimpy and ineffective or that wavers back and forth without a resolution. You might march up to a bully, ready to give them a piece of your mind, only to end up saying something wishy-washy like, "Um, maybe you could be a little nicer?" Or you could find yourself being wishy-washy as you choose an ice cream flavor, wavering between vanilla and double-fudge mocha with marshmallows.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
