释义 |
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2024nam•by-pam•by /ˈnæmbiˈpæmbi/USA pronunciation adj., n., pl. -bies. adj. - indecisive;
irresolute:a namby-pamby personality. - sentimental;
insipid:namby-pamby greeting cards. n. [countable] - one that is namby-pamby.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2024nam•by-pam•by (nam′bē pam′bē),USA pronunciation adj., n., pl. -bies for 4.adj. - without firm methods or policy;
weak or indecisive:namby-pamby handling of juvenile offenders. - lacking in character, directness, or moral or emotional strength:namby-pamby writing.
- weakly sentimental, pretentious, or affected;
insipid. n. - a namby-pamby person:written by and for namby-pambies.
- namby-pamby sentiment:the harmless namby-pamby of a birthday card.
- namby-pamby verse or prose.
- 1726; rhyming compound based on the first syllable of Ambrose Philips; first used as a nickname for Philips in the title of a poem by Henry Carey (1687?–1743) ridiculing his verse
nam′by-pam′bi•ness, nam′by-pam′by•ism, n. nam′by-pam′by•ish, adj. |