pabulum

American  

[pab-yuh-luhm] / ˈpæb yə ləm /

noun

1. something that nourishes an animal or vegetable organism; food; nutriment.

2. material for intellectual nourishment.

3. pablum.

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pabulum British  

/ ˈpæbjʊləm /

noun

1. food

2. food for thought, esp when bland or dull

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Etymology

Origin of pabulum

1670–80; < Latin pābulum food, nourishment, equivalent to pā ( scere ) to feed (akin to food ) + -bulum noun suffix of instrument

Example Sentences

But their observations about love are such pabulum that a passer-by might mistake what their glimpsing for the opener of a "Saturday Night Live" short film parody.

From Salon • May 15, 2022

The Peabody Awards praised it for “offering the perfect counter to the enduring prevalence of toxic masculinity,” and the show’s Twitter account, which spouted pabulum about the decency of the human spirit, became extremely popular.

From New York Times • Nov. 17, 2021

While it sogs relatively quickly, the soft pabulum that remains is still tasty, and sloughs off just enough of that cinnamon and sugar to make a satisfying bowl of cereal milk.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 12, 2019

Sadly, a head-scratching lack of extras, only including a paltry six-minutes worth of promotional pabulum, relegates the great effort to a rental or on-demand viewing.

From Washington Times • Feb. 18, 2016

John the Baptist, with camel's hair clothing, leathern girdle, and locust pabulum had a kind, soft heart within.

From The Palm Tree Blessing by Shepard, W. E.