milquetoast
1 of 2noun
milque·toast ˈmilk-ˌtōst 
: a timid, meek, or unassertive person
milquetoast
2 of 2adjective
1
of a person : timid, meek, or unassertive
Do we really want a someone who is a milquetoast halfhearted candidate or someone who will defend the Constitution with every fiber of her being?
Dana B. Orr
Dana B. Orr2
: lacking in character or vigor : wishy-washy
… after declining multiple opportunities to comment during the reporting of the story, he finally produced a most milquetoast statement Friday. Jerry Brewer
Jerry Brewer
Did you know?
Why is it milquetoast, and not milk toast?
Caspar Milquetoast is a comic strip character created in 1924 by cartoonist Harold T. Webster. Beginning a few years after the character's debut, the term milquetoast came to describe a timid or meek person. Caspar's last name is fitting because milk toast is a weak, bland concoction of buttered toast served in a dish of warm milk.
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Amy Nicholson, Variety, 25 Aug. 2022 If the dark evolution of Coach Nate (Nick Mohammed) from sweet milquetoast to burgeoning supervillain has cooled the reception to the series’ second outing, Sam’s development could be the show’s new hope. Michael Ordoña, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2022 Congress has in recent months only really been able to muster a milquetoast gun-control bill that does little to address the root causes of gun violence. Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 5 July 2022 Foster met that challenge and then some, bringing a quirkier personality and spunk to a role that can often read as a milquetoast ingenue. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 7 June 2022 In fact, the Civic Sport sedan comes only with the most milquetoast of Civic powertrains: a 158-hp naturally aspirated 2.0-liter inline-four paired with a CVT. Ezra Dyer, Car and Driver, 27 May 2022 So the musically milquetoast, moon-eyed ballads met with big singalongs in town last September were greeted largely with disinterested chatter among Chesney fans across the stadium. Piet Levy, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 15 May 2022 Now, this doesn't mean Biden will need to tap a milquetoast moderate. Damon Linker, The Week, 27 Jan. 2022 The most milquetoast of all the sauces sampled, this offering is far too tame in the heat and tang department, relying instead on salt to do all the work. Paul Stephen, San Antonio Express-News, 26 Jan. 2022 See More
Noun
The disarray is baffling for the audience, and downright punishing for Hart, whose lead character is forced to shape-shift between scenes, veering from milquetoast to petty to tyrannical to pushed-around. Amy Nicholson, Variety, 25 Aug. 2022 If the dark evolution of Coach Nate (Nick Mohammed) from sweet milquetoast to burgeoning supervillain has cooled the reception to the series’ second outing, Sam’s development could be the show’s new hope. Michael Ordoña, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2022 Congress has in recent months only really been able to muster a milquetoast gun-control bill that does little to address the root causes of gun violence. Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 5 July 2022 Foster met that challenge and then some, bringing a quirkier personality and spunk to a role that can often read as a milquetoast ingenue. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 7 June 2022 In fact, the Civic Sport sedan comes only with the most milquetoast of Civic powertrains: a 158-hp naturally aspirated 2.0-liter inline-four paired with a CVT. Ezra Dyer, Car and Driver, 27 May 2022 So the musically milquetoast, moon-eyed ballads met with big singalongs in town last September were greeted largely with disinterested chatter among Chesney fans across the stadium. Piet Levy, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 15 May 2022 Now, this doesn't mean Biden will need to tap a milquetoast moderate. Damon Linker, The Week, 27 Jan. 2022 The most milquetoast of all the sauces sampled, this offering is far too tame in the heat and tang department, relying instead on salt to do all the work. Paul Stephen, San Antonio Express-News, 26 Jan. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Noun
Caspar Milquetoast, comic strip character created by H. T. Webster †1952 American cartoonist
Adjective
from Caspar Milquetoast — more at milquetoast entry 1
First Known Use
Noun
1935, in the meaning defined above
Adjective
1931, in the meaning defined at sense 1
milquetoasts
noun
as in cowards
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- cowards
- wusses
- wussies
- pussies
- weaklings
- wimps
- nebbishes
- mice
- doormats
- pushovers
- jellyfish
- nervous Nellies
- sheep
- reeds
- namby-pambies
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- stalwarts
- mensches