milquetoast

American  

[milk-tohst] / ˈmɪlkˌtoʊst /

noun

(sometimes initial capital letter)

1. a very timid, unassertive, spineless person, especially one who is easily dominated or intimidated.

   a milquetoast who's afraid to ask for a raise.

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milquetoast British  

/ ˈmɪlkˌtəʊst /

noun

1. a meek, submissive, or timid person

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Etymology

Origin of milquetoast

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

Example Sentences

The 85-year-old label, tagged by the Observer as once being “synonymous with a particularly milquetoast suburban sensibility,” today posts fast-growing sales among famously fickle Gen Z shoppers.

From The Wall Street Journal

When longtime announcer Don Pardo asks Kroeger’s milquetoast contender, “When is the next reappearance of Halley’s Comet scheduled?” a buzzer instantly cuts him off.

From Salon

Related Words

• milksop
• mollycoddle
• pushover