as in milquetoast
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Recent Examples of nebbish
At the film’s Cipriani afterparty, the New York Times’ Kyle Buchanan compared the Babygirl effect to what Challengers did for Josh O’Connor, who’d previously played nice guys and nebbishes.
—
Nate Jones, Vulture, 31 Aug. 2024
Is the algorithm going to make the out-of-shape nebbish standup an endangered species?
—Jason Zinoman, New York Times, 15 Nov. 2023
The nebbish who fights back.
—Jay Deitcher, Wired, 5 July 2021
Dennehy’s size and potent masculinity was integral to Falls' noir-tinged staging of the play; at the time, there was an unspoken contrast with Dustin Hoffman, who had recently interpreted Willy on both stage and screen as a nebbish who seemed to shrink ever-further before your eyes.
—Chris Jones, chicagotribune.com, 22 Oct. 2020
The assassins pursuing him there include a bounty hunter called Mr. Nobody (Shamier Anderson), who shows up with his beloved dog (a cheeky reference back to the premise of the first John Wick movie), and a nasty nebbish called Chidi (Marko Zaror).
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2023
Played by Allen, Leonard Zelig is a nebbish of genius.
—Mark Feeney, BostonGlobe.com, 5 Jan. 2023
Playing a harried but devoted father is a new look for the actor who is frequently typecast as an unlikeable nebbish.
—Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 17 Nov. 2022
Sievert plays Seymour, the lovestruck florist-shop nebbish who unexpectedly becomes the caretaker of a carnivorous and increasingly hungry hunk of vegetation.
—Jim Higgins, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 15 Nov. 2021
Nate Jones, Vulture, 31 Aug. 2024
Is the algorithm going to make the out-of-shape nebbish standup an endangered species?
—Jason Zinoman, New York Times, 15 Nov. 2023
The nebbish who fights back.
—Jay Deitcher, Wired, 5 July 2021
Dennehy’s size and potent masculinity was integral to Falls' noir-tinged staging of the play; at the time, there was an unspoken contrast with Dustin Hoffman, who had recently interpreted Willy on both stage and screen as a nebbish who seemed to shrink ever-further before your eyes.
—Chris Jones, chicagotribune.com, 22 Oct. 2020
The assassins pursuing him there include a bounty hunter called Mr. Nobody (Shamier Anderson), who shows up with his beloved dog (a cheeky reference back to the premise of the first John Wick movie), and a nasty nebbish called Chidi (Marko Zaror).
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2023
Played by Allen, Leonard Zelig is a nebbish of genius.
—Mark Feeney, BostonGlobe.com, 5 Jan. 2023
Playing a harried but devoted father is a new look for the actor who is frequently typecast as an unlikeable nebbish.
—Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 17 Nov. 2022
Sievert plays Seymour, the lovestruck florist-shop nebbish who unexpectedly becomes the caretaker of a carnivorous and increasingly hungry hunk of vegetation.
—Jim Higgins, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 15 Nov. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nebbish
Noun
-
The always-bold, always-hyper Daffy is incorrigibly incompetent, while shy milquetoast Porky is too busy nursing a crush on beautiful gum-flavor scientist Petunia Pig (voiced by Candi Milo) to ever really accomplish much.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
13 Mar. 2025
-
Ian McEwan explored this gray territory in his novel Machines Like Me, where his milquetoast protagonist smilingly tolerates his robot's romantic overtures toward his love interest—until the threat of displacement becomes all too real.—
Silvia Park,
TIME,
10 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
There is no way a coward like Musk is in a position to accuse Sen. Kelly of being a traitor.—
DP Opinion,
The Denver Post,
11 Mar. 2025
-
This is a cop novel that fully satisfies its genre expectations — chases, gun battles, sinister bad guys, questionable cops, cowards and heroes.—
Claude Peck,
Boston Herald,
16 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Of the two sisters in the yellow house, Paula is a much gentler girl, a wuss, a baby, the biggest chicken—that’s how her sister thinks of her—and Rhonda is the boss.—
Alex Mar,
Rolling Stone,
25 Mar. 2023
-
Teach, who carries a gun, is a wuss about the rain.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
14 Apr. 2022
Noun
-
The first step: Show a mouse video snippets of sci-fi movies, sports, animation and nature.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
9 Apr. 2025
-
Trying out their research on mice was easier than doing so on elephants—for one thing, the average gestation period for a mouse is three weeks, whereas an elephant’s is twenty-two months, the longest of any mammal.—
D. T. Max,
New Yorker,
7 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nebbish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nebbish. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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