wishy-washy
Americanadjective
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lacking in decisiveness; without strength or character; irresolute.
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washy or watery, as a liquid; thin and weak.
adjective
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lacking in substance, force, colour, etc
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watery; thin
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of wishy-washy
First recorded in 1685–95; gradational compound based on washy
Explanation
If you're wishy-washy, you're not determined or resolute, but instead act in a way that's weak or uncertain. A politician might give wishy-washy answers to difficult questions, so you're left not really knowing where they stand. Use the adjective wishy-washy when you describe something that's either wimpy and ineffective or that wavers back and forth without a resolution. You might march up to a bully, ready to give them a piece of your mind, only to end up saying something wishy-washy like, "Um, maybe you could be a little nicer?" Or you could find yourself being wishy-washy as you choose an ice cream flavor, wavering between vanilla and double-fudge mocha with marshmallows.
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.
It was when it reported on matters of which I had zero awareness: my HRV balance, for example, or my chronotype, albeit a wishy-washy “late morning,” a designation I plan to flip to early bird.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 29, 2026
RFK Jr. then went on Joe Rogan’s podcast and made some wishy-washy remarks about the whole thing, including that glyphosate is “not a good thing to have in your food.”
From Slate • Mar. 5, 2026
She gives every impression she might regard that nickname as a bit wishy-washy, a bit namby-pamby.
From BBC • Sep. 29, 2025
She believes wellness culture has become culty in its own right, with wishy-washy aspects from different belief systems amalgamated into social media-friendly idioms.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 22, 2024
“I just don’t know how to handle it. 1 feel so ambiguous. What kind of wishy-washy person am 1 anyway?”
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
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.
