pabulum
Americannoun
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something that nourishes an animal or vegetable organism; food; nutriment.
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material for intellectual nourishment.
noun
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food
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food for thought, esp when bland or dull
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
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
A dozen years later, Epstein describes himself as “allergic” to business school slang, to the kind of pabulum espoused in leadership books.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 1, 2016
In the recently released update for its efficiency study of the Iowa regent system, Deloitte Consulting managed to dish out a softer stew of pabulum than we expected - and we already expected mush.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 16, 2014
That is true, but does not invalidate my argument, for it is not the book which is pabulum to our intellect, but only the thoughts which have been recorded upon its pages.
From A Modern Wizard by Ottolengui, Rodrigues
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.
