wishy-washy en · ADJ
Pronunciation
Etymology
Reduplication of washy; more at Wikipedia under ablaut reduplication. The wish portion of the term is explained much more by the ablaut reduplication than by any coincidental semantic appropriateness (such as that wishy-washy people wish that they could have it both ways), although the latter effect may play some nonzero cognitive role in word-finding. Compare also swish, swash, splish, and splash regarding any possible sound symbolism.
Meanings
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Wavering; lacking in commitment, certainty, support, and (often) clarity; namby-pamby.
I’m not about to vote Conservative myself (I’m a wishy-washy centrist who liked Tony Blair’s early work and has since mostly voted Labour, with an occasional swing to the Liberal Democrats and Greens)[…]
2023 July 17, Rhymer Rigby, “Sick of this Conservative government? That shouldn’t stop you having Tory friends”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:Near-synonyms: vacillating, vacillatory
Not wanting to be pressed for details, public relations gave a wishy-washy answer.
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Thin or watery.
Near-synonyms: watered-down, diluted, dilute
And you will appreciate drinking the hot cup, or rather billy, of tea—which is more than one can call the wishy-washy concoction served up in some 'tea-houses'.
2006, Gipsy Petulengro, Romany Hints for Outdoor Living and Tips for Ramblers, page 7:The wishy-washy orange juice served by the cafeteria not only failed to be sweet; it was barely orange.
Usually the quality of the liquor is judged by the "bite" of it. The hotter the better. A drink of first class, aged whisky would be ridiculed in most parts of Maine as a wishy-washy beverage fit only for mollycoddles. The Down East "soak" wants something that stings and burns all the way, and usually he gets it[…]
1915, “Maine booze turns an iron tub blue”, in The Mixer and Server:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| wishy-washier | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| wishy-washiest | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| most wishy-washy | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more wishy-washy | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |
Coordinates
opaque · murky · unhelpful · wobbling
Deriveds
wishy-washily · wishy-washiness
Relateds
Synonyms
vacillatory · dilute · diluted · vacillating · watered-down
Translations (51)
fr chiffe molle (wavering or lacking in commitment, certainty, or support) · kmr şilonermo (wavering or lacking in commitment, certainty, or support) · ru жи́дкий (thin or watery) · da vægelsindet (wavering or lacking in commitment, certainty, or support) · ru безли́кий (wavering or lacking in commitment, certainty, or support) · it incerto (wavering or lacking in commitment, certainty, or support) · ru хи́лый (wavering or lacking in commitment, certainty, or support) · fr fadasse (wavering or lacking in commitment, certainty, or support) · es indeciso (wavering or lacking in commitment, certainty, or support) · fi ympäripyöreä (wavering or lacking in commitment, certainty, or support) · ru бле́дный (wavering or lacking in commitment, certainty, or support) · es veleta (wavering or lacking in commitment, certainty, or support) · fr pisse d'âne (thin or watery) · fr aseptisé (wavering or lacking in commitment, certainty, or support) · de verwässert (thin or watery) · fr molasse (wavering or lacking in commitment, certainty, or support) · es lábil (wavering or lacking in commitment, certainty, or support) · it allungato (thin or watery) · fr jus de chaussette (thin or watery) · it indeciso (wavering or lacking in commitment, certainty, or support) · es débil (wavering or lacking in commitment, certainty, or support) · pt indeciso (wavering or lacking in commitment, certainty, or support) · pt enrolado (wavering or lacking in commitment, certainty, or support) · it diluito (thin or watery) · is lapþunnur (thin or watery) · fr femmelette (wavering or lacking in commitment, certainty, or support) · it smidollato (wavering or lacking in commitment, certainty, or support) · fr eau de vaisselle (thin or watery) · fr bibine (thin or watery) · ru сла́бый (thin or watery) · es aguado (thin or watery) · es bebistrajo (thin or watery) · fr couille molle (wavering or lacking in commitment, certainty, or support) · de Wischiwaschi- (wavering or lacking in commitment, certainty, or support) · fr girouette (wavering or lacking in commitment, certainty, or support) · es vacilante (wavering or lacking in commitment, certainty, or support) · fr lavasse (thin or watery) · it annacquato (thin or watery) · fi vetinen (thin or watery) · it mollaccione (wavering or lacking in commitment, certainty, or support) · ru водяни́стый (thin or watery) · es tornadizo (wavering or lacking in commitment, certainty, or support) · fr béni-oui-oui (wavering or lacking in commitment, certainty, or support) · fr mollasson (wavering or lacking in commitment, certainty, or support) · nb vassen (thin or watery) · ru зы́бкий (wavering or lacking in commitment, certainty, or support) · ru невырази́тельный (wavering or lacking in commitment, certainty, or support) · nb tynn (thin or watery) · es endeble (wavering or lacking in commitment, certainty, or support) · kmr şilşeht (wavering or lacking in commitment, certainty, or support) · sv vacklande (wavering or lacking in commitment, certainty, or support)