nam·by-pam·by (n m b -pm b)adj. 1. Insipid and sentimental. 2. Lacking vigor or decisiveness; spineless. n. pl. nam·by-pam·bies One that is insipid, sentimental, or weak. [After Namby-Pamby, a satire on the poetry of Ambrose Philips (1674-1749) by Henry Carey (1687?-1743).] Word History: We are being very literary when we call someone a namby-pamby, a word derived from the name of Ambrose Philips, a little-known 18th-century poet whose verse incurred the sharp ridicule of his contemporaries Alexander Pope and Henry Carey. Their ridicule, inspired by political differences and literary rivalry, had little to do with the quality of Philips's poetry. In poking fun at some children's verse written by Philips, Carey used the nickname Namby Pamby: "So the Nurses get by Heart Namby Pamby's Little Rhimes." Pope then used the name in the 1733 edition of his satirical epic The Dunciad. The first part of Carey's coinage came from Amby, or Ambrose. Pamby repeated the sound and form but added the initial of Philips's name. Such a process of repetition is called reduplication. After being popularized by Pope, namby-pamby went on to be used generally for people or things that are insipid, sentimental, or weak. |
namby-pamby [ˌnæmbɪˈpæmbɪ]
adj
1. sentimental or prim in a weak insipid way namby-pamby manners
2. clinging, feeble, or spineless a namby-pamby child
n pl -bies
a person who is namby-pamby
[a nickname of Ambrose Phillips (died 1749), whose pastoral verse was ridiculed for being insipid]
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. | namby-pamby - an insipid weakling who is foolishly sentimental |
| Adj. | 1. |  namby-pamby - weak in willpower, courage or vitalityweak - wanting in physical strength; "a weak pillar" |
namby-pamby
adjective feeble, weak, wet, sentimental, mincing, ineffectual, prim, weedy (informal), colourless, effeminate, anaemic, insipid, simpering, spineless, effete, prissy (informal), wishy-washy (informal), vapid, mawkish, wussy (slang), wimpish or wimpy (informal) I despise his wimpy, namby-pamby attitude.
Translations
namby-pamby (esp Brit inf)
namby-pamby [ˌnæmbɪˈpæmbɪ] adj & n (fam) → rammollito/a
namby-pamby [ˌnæmbɪˈpæmbɪ] adj & n (fam) → rammollito/a
namby-pamby [ˌnæmbɪˈpæmbɪ] adj & n (fam) → rammollito/a
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