milk-and-water

adjective

ˈmilk-ən(d)-ˈwȯ-tər How to pronounce milk-and-water (audio)
Definition of milk-and-waternext
1
as in bland
lacking in qualities that make for spirit and character a milk-and-water campaign speech that most likely did not inspire a single person

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in weak
lacking strength of will or character we need to elect a leader with a bold vision, not someone who's been a milk-and-water yes-man all his life

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for milk-and-water
  1. bland
  2. weak
  3. boring
  4. soft
  5. watery
  6. insipid
  7. banal
  8. dull
Adjective
  • The answer is quite simple but hardly not satisfying: His players are bland.
    Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 11 Dec. 2024
  • My only real complaint is that, apart from the weapons, the mecha looked like they were designed by a committee and were a bit bland.
    Ollie Barder, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2024
Definition of bland
Adjective
  • Capasa noted that a negative third quarter impacted by weak internal demand, the slowdown of purchases from Chinese customers and overall geopolitical instability kept worsening the cautious scenario already registered in the first half of the year.
    Sandra Salibian, WWD, 11 Dec. 2024
  • Scene-to-scene continuity is typically weak and telling.
    Lance Eliot, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
Definition of weak
Adjective
  • But to play to that dichotomy is a tightrope walk: lean too far one way and Indy becomes boring, either as too normal or a superhero.
    Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 10 Dec. 2024
  • Eggnog Eggnog is a hard sell because most people have only had the bad kind, those boring and occasionally gross cartons that line the dairy section of the supermarket every December.
    Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 9 Dec. 2024
Definition of boring
Adjective
  • It’s packed with nourishing ingredients and leaves lips soft and hydrated overnight.
    Jacquelyn Smith, Parents, 10 Dec. 2024
  • Ripe pomegranates become soft and less resistant to cracking, so look for less firm fruits.
    Merve Ceylan, Health, 10 Dec. 2024
Definition of soft
Adjective
  • Cream or custard fillings can separate, and become watery or lumpy.4 Cream will not whip after being frozen.
    Heather Jones, Verywell Health, 10 Dec. 2024
  • People with allergies typically have itchy or watery eyes, puffy eyes, itchy throat, sneezing, runny nose or congestion, and a sinus headache.
    Nicole Villalpando, Austin American-Statesman, 5 Dec. 2024
Definition of watery
Adjective
  • At the far extreme, there is the insipid libertarianism of Ron Paul, the former Texas representative, who has claimed that Marine detachments guarding U.S. embassies count as examples of military overstretch.
    Bret Stephens, Foreign Affairs, 5 Feb. 2013
  • The blandly positive lyrics seemed even more insipid amid all the bedroom jams.
    Eric Webb, Austin American-Statesman, 1 June 2024
Definition of insipid
Adjective
  • But the most sinister aspect of the movie, to me, is how banal its serial rapists are—how corny and ineffectual, these cringeworthy failsons.
    Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 6 Dec. 2024
  • Both projects share a similar eye for the grotesquerie of the banal, with a generally condescending perspective toward rural desperation.
    Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Dec. 2024
Definition of banal
Adjective
  • While congressional hearings are often dull set pieces, this one offered a remarkably lively and informative discussion of the practicalities and opportunities facing America regarding space resources.
    Greg Autry, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024
  • For her, the glory of the honeymoon had been in the planning, the dreaming, the building up in her mind; what a letdown to find that Paris was just a place, that some days were full of chill gray drizzle, that the dull, thick bodies of other tourists blocked her from full joy.
    Lauren Groff, The New Yorker, 8 Dec. 2024
Definition of dull
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Thesaurus Entries Near milk-and-water

milk

milk-and-water

milked

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Cite this Entry

“Milk-and-water.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/milk-and-water. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

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