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
  • These are easy ways to spruce up otherwise bland statements.
    Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 13 Jan. 2025
  • The young actors are excellent, their bland surroundings coolly captured by Raphaël Vandenbussche’s easygoing camera.
    Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2025
Definition of bland
Adjective
  • Of Vegas’ last eight games, six were at home and all eight were against some of the league’s weakest teams.
    Dom Luszczyszyn, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025
  • China’s persistently low consumer inflation indicates that China is struggling with weak domestic demand, stoking fears of deflation.
    Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 9 Jan. 2025
Definition of weak
Adjective
  • News to Know Disney buys Fubo On its face, the move might sound like a boring press release.
    Chris Branch, The Athletic, 7 Jan. 2025
  • Covering the entertainment business is never boring, and 2025 is already shaping up to be another banger as business models that have been around for decades continue to evolve, erode and unravel.
    Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 7 Jan. 2025
Definition of boring
Adjective
  • Buck stands under the soft glow of Tiffany-style fixtures, his guitar slung casually over his shoulders and his brown cowboy hat casting a shadow over his black denim jacket.
    Maxwell Williams, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2025
  • As the discipline matures, soft skills such as communication and cross-functional teamwork will prove just as critical as technical acumen.
    Srikanta Datta, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025
Definition of soft
Adjective
  • Every year between fall and spring, Southern Californians experience gusts of dry wind that can cause runny noses or watery eyes — and sometimes powerful enough to halt traffic or topple trees.
    Aria Bendix, NBC News, 9 Jan. 2025
  • In birds, the disease causes symptoms including swelling to the head, watery eyes and unusual movement.
    Katherine Hignett, Forbes, 28 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
  • Barry builds a believable sci-fi world—even with its pseudo-fantastical powers—out of the most familiar and banal building blocks, taking the stakes of linguistic misuse to apocalyptic heights.
    Tajja Isen, The Atlantic, 11 Dec. 2024
  • Generally, the drama does spectacularly well with abiding by a primal sense of magical realism — the finding of wonderment in the banal and the insertion of banality into the wondrous.
    Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Dec. 2024
Definition of banal
Adjective
  • For optimal baking, open the containers to check their aroma and if the smell is dull throw it away.
    Maggie Gillette, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Jan. 2025
  • The action was so frenetic that the dull parts of Test matches, lulls that often exist when one team is in complete control, were basically eradicated.
    Tristan Lavalette, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
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 21 Jan. 2025.

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