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milquetoast

[ milk-tohst ]
/ ˈmɪlkˌtoʊst /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR milquetoast ON THESAURUS.COM

noun (sometimes initial capital letter)

a very timid, unassertive, spineless person, especially one who is easily dominated or intimidated: a milquetoast who's afraid to ask for a raise.

Words related to milquetoast

suckling, bairn, newborn, milksop, tot, mollycoddle, toddler, youngster, nursling, babe, nipper, bambino, bundle, child, dividend, kid, boy, button, deduction, chick

Words nearby milquetoast

milosz, milošević, milpa, milphosis, milpitas, milquetoast, milreis, milroy's disease, milstein, milt, milter

Origin of milquetoast

1935–40, Americanism; after Caspar Milquetoast, a character in The Timid Soul, comic strip by H. T. Webster (1885–1952), American cartoonist
Also called Caspar Milquetoast.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH milquetoast

milk toast milquetoast
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for milquetoast

British Dictionary definitions for milquetoast

milquetoast
/ (ˈmɪlkˌtəʊst) /

noun

US and Canadian a meek, submissive, or timid person

Word Origin for milquetoast

C20: from Caspar Milquetoast, a cartoon character invented by H. T. Webster (1885–1952)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012