Namby Pamby

C2 16+

Pronunciation: /ˈnæmbi ˈpæmbi/

Definitions of namby pamby

noun a weak or indecisive person

Example Sentences

A1 I don't like namby pamby people who can't make decisions.

A2 The namby pamby attitude of the new employee is starting to annoy me.

B1 The manager's namby pamby approach to discipline is not effective.

B2 I can't stand the namby pamby way she avoids confrontation.

C1 His namby pamby leadership style is not suitable for managing a large team.

C2 The CEO's namby pamby decisions have led to a decline in company profits.

adjective lacking vigor or decisiveness; weak; indecisive

Example Sentences

A1 She didn't like the namby pamby ending of the movie.

A2 The teacher's namby pamby approach to discipline was not effective.

B1 The namby pamby decision-making process led to confusion among the team.

B2 I can't stand his namby pamby attitude towards important issues.

C1 The CEO's namby pamby leadership style is not inspiring confidence in the company.

C2 The politician's namby pamby response to the crisis was criticized by the public.

Examples of namby pamby in a Sentence

formal The CEO dismissed the proposal as namby pamby and lacking in substance.

informal I can't stand namby pamby people who can't make a decision.

slang Stop being so namby pamby and just go for it!

figurative His argument was so namby pamby, it fell apart under scrutiny.

Grammatical Forms of namby pamby

past tense

namby pambyed

plural

namby pambies

comparative

more namby pamby

superlative

most namby pamby

present tense

is namby pambying

future tense

will be namby pambying

perfect tense

has been namby pambyed

continuous tense

is being namby pambyed

singular

namby pamby

positive degree

very namby pamby

infinitive

to namby pamby

gerund

namby pambying

participle

namby pambyed

Origin and Evolution of namby pamby

First Known Use: 1725 year
Language of Origin: English
Story behind the word: The term 'namby pamby' originated from a satirical poem titled 'Namby Pamby' written by Henry Carey in 1725. The poem was a parody of the overly sentimental and weak style of writing often found in contemporary poetry.
Evolution of the word: Over time, 'namby pamby' has come to be used as an adjective to describe something or someone as weak, indecisive, or overly sentimental.