mealy-mouthed

or meal·y·mouthed

[ mee-lee-moutht, -mouthd ]

/ ˈmi liˌmaʊθt, -ˌmaʊðd /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR mealy-mouthed ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

avoiding the use of direct and plain language, as from timidity, excessive delicacy, or hypocrisy; inclined to mince words; insincere, devious, or compromising: Our local government is filled with mealy-mouthed politicians and self-serving bureaucrats.

Origin of mealy-mouthed

First recorded in 1565–75; mealy + mouthed

OTHER WORDS FROM mealy-mouthed

meal·y-mouth·ed·ly

[mee-lee-mou-thid-lee, -thid-, -moutht-, -mouthd-], /ˈmi liˌmaʊ θɪd li, -ðɪd-, -ˌmaʊθt-, -ˌmaʊðd-/, adverbmeal·y-mouth·ed·ness, noun

Words nearby mealy-mouthed

meal ticket, mealtime, mealworm, mealy, mealybug, mealy-mouthed, mean, mean anomaly, mean business, mean calorie, mean cell hemoglobin

Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for mealy-mouthed

As for all the timid, mealy-mouthed incrementalists, Porter has only contempt for that kind of thinking.
Janet Folger Porter, Abortion Warrior, on Her Heartbeat Crusade|Michelle Cottle|July 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Twenty-five years later, he wrote a mealy-mouthed not-quite apology for his rhetoric.
Al Sharpton’s Long Bill of Goods, From Tawana Brawley to Primetime|Stuart Stevens|June 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Parsons are paid for it, and ought not to be mealy-mouthed, when there is a proper opening, such as poor Tyrrel's case gave you.
Coelebs In Search of a Wife|Hannah More
But the visual image in the masterly original Greek is not so mealy-mouthed.
Bunyan Characters - Third Series|Alexander Whyte

His mealy-mouthed wife stands for it, but I don't, an' that makes things all the hotter.
Sunlight Patch|Credo Fitch Harris
Others declaimed the platitude of the mealy-mouthed, that MacFarlane had been a big-hearted fellow, his own worst enemy.
The Sheriff of Badger|George B. Pattullo
“You were mealy-mouthed,” he stated, with a genial retrospect in his voice.
The Locusts' Years|Mary Helen Fee

British Dictionary definitions for mealy-mouthed

mealy-mouthed

adjective

hesitant or afraid to speak plainly; not outspoken

Derived forms of mealy-mouthed

mealy-mouthedness, noun

Word Origin for mealy-mouthed

C16: from mealy (in the sense: soft, soft-spoken)

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

单词	mealy-mouthed
释义	mealy-mouthed or meal·y·mouthed [ mee-lee-moutht, -mouthd ] / ˈmi liˌmaʊθt, -ˌmaʊðd / SEE SYNONYMS FOR mealy-mouthed ON THESAURUS.COM adjective avoiding the use of direct and plain language, as from timidity, excessive delicacy, or hypocrisy; inclined to mince words; insincere, devious, or compromising: Our local government is filled with mealy-mouthed politicians and self-serving bureaucrats. Origin of mealy-mouthed First recorded in 1565–75; mealy + mouthed OTHER WORDS FROM mealy-mouthed meal·y-mouth·ed·ly [mee-lee-mou-thid-lee, -thid-, -moutht-, -mouthd-], /ˈmi liˌmaʊ θɪd li, -ðɪd-, -ˌmaʊθt-, -ˌmaʊðd-/, adverbmeal·y-mouth·ed·ness, noun Words nearby mealy-mouthed meal ticket, mealtime, mealworm, mealy, mealybug, mealy-mouthed, mean, mean anomaly, mean business, mean calorie, mean cell hemoglobin Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020 Example sentences from the Web for mealy-mouthed As for all the timid, mealy-mouthed incrementalists, Porter has only contempt for that kind of thinking. Janet Folger Porter, Abortion Warrior, on Her Heartbeat Crusade\|Michelle Cottle\|July 7, 2013\|DAILY BEAST Twenty-five years later, he wrote a mealy-mouthed not-quite apology for his rhetoric. Al Sharpton’s Long Bill of Goods, From Tawana Brawley to Primetime\|Stuart Stevens\|June 3, 2013\|DAILY BEAST Parsons are paid for it, and ought not to be mealy-mouthed, when there is a proper opening, such as poor Tyrrel's case gave you. Coelebs In Search of a Wife\|Hannah More But the visual image in the masterly original Greek is not so mealy-mouthed. Bunyan Characters - Third Series\|Alexander Whyte His mealy-mouthed wife stands for it, but I don't, an' that makes things all the hotter. Sunlight Patch\|Credo Fitch Harris Others declaimed the platitude of the mealy-mouthed, that MacFarlane had been a big-hearted fellow, his own worst enemy. The Sheriff of Badger\|George B. Pattullo “You were mealy-mouthed,” he stated, with a genial retrospect in his voice. The Locusts' Years\|Mary Helen Fee British Dictionary definitions for mealy-mouthed mealy-mouthed adjective hesitant or afraid to speak plainly; not outspoken Derived forms of mealy-mouthed mealy-mouthedness, noun Word Origin for mealy-mouthed C16: from mealy (in the sense: soft, soft-spoken) 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 Words related to mealy-mouthed affected, deceptive, devious, disingenuous, equivocal, hypocritical, insincere
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mealy-mouthed

or meal·y·mouthed

adjective

Origin of mealy-mouthed

OTHER WORDS FROM mealy-mouthed

Words nearby mealy-mouthed

Example sentences from the Web for mealy-mouthed

British Dictionary definitions for mealy-mouthed

adjective

Derived forms of mealy-mouthed

Word Origin for mealy-mouthed

Words related to mealy-mouthed