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  1. wishy-washy love

Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. adj. Informal Thin and watery, as tea or soup; insipid.
  2. adj. Informal Lacking in strength of character or purpose; ineffective.

Wiktionary

  1. adj. Wavering; lacking in commitment, certainty, or support; namby-pamby.
  2. adj. Thin or watery.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. adj. Thin and pale; weak; without strength or substance; -- originally said of liquids. Fig., weak-minded; spiritless.
  2. n. A weak or thin drink or liquor; wish-wash.

WordNet 3.0

  1. adj. weak in willpower, courage or vitality

Etymologies

  1. Reduplication of washy, thin, watery, from wash. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

Examples

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Lists

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Comments

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  • whichbe The condition of a filthy person when self-conscious. Oct 9, 2008

  • slumry I had imagined this to be an Americanism, but I was wrong. The oldest sense (1693) referred to watery. "Newfangled" sense of vacillating evidently was recorded in 1873. It was part of my parent's vocabulary. Jul 2, 2007

  • sonofgroucho I'm sure I came across this one in the Charlie Brown (Peanuts) cartoons. Jul 2, 2007

  • abraxaszugzwang just taught this to my students today. they got a good chuckle out of it. Feb 28, 2007

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‘wishy-washy’ has been looked up 2262 times, added to 25 lists, commented on 4 times, and is not a valid Scrabble word.