wishy-washy

[ wish-ee-wosh-ee, -waw-shee ]

/ ˈwɪʃ iˌwɒʃ i, -ˌwɔ ʃi /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR wishy-washy ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

lacking in decisiveness; without strength or character; irresolute.

washy or watery, as a liquid; thin and weak.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

wishful, wishful thinking, wishfully, wishing well, wisht, wishy-washy, wiskott-aldrich syndrome, wislany zalew, wismar, wisp, wispy

Origin of wishy-washy

First recorded in 1685–95; gradational compound based on washy

Related formswish·y-wash·i·ly, adverbwish·y-wash·i·ness, noun

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

Examples from the Web for wishy-washy

But his Republican party in Washington considers this conservative too wishy-washy to be prime GOP material.
Nevada Guv Faces Fans and Foes in Reelection|Lloyd Green|March 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Were his wishy-washy answers in the debate merely an attempt to fool the center into voting for an Islamist candidate?
Egyptian Elections: There Is No Clear Frontrunner in a Crowded Field|Mahmoud Salem|May 23, 2012|DAILY BEAST
He is like an over-shot mill, one everlastin' wishy-washy stream.'
The Attache|Thomas Chandler Haliburton
I should think that Mr. Reed would have about as much respect for a namby-pamby novel as he has for a wishy-washy politician.
McClure's Magazine, Vol. 1, No. 5, October 1893|Various

They have stimulated me so far to produce two lectures of wishy-washy generalities.
The Letters of William James, Vol. II|William James
Lotties reputation is in danger—she must be saved—no wishy-washy work now.
The White Rose of Memphis|William C. Falkner
Well, the whole trick consists in pilfering his originality, and dishing it up with the wishy-washy sauce of the School of Arts!
His Masterpiece|Emile Zola

British Dictionary definitions for wishy-washy

wishy-washy

/ (ˈwɪʃɪˌwɒʃɪ) /

adjective informal

lacking in substance, force, colour, etc

watery; thin

Derived Formswishy-washily, adverbwishy-washiness, noun

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

Word Origin and History for wishy-washy

wishy-washy

adj.

1690s, "feeble or poor in quality," reduplication of washy "thin, watery" (see wash (n.)). Meaning "vacillating" first recorded 1873.