wishy-washy
10 synonyms and 7 antonyms for wishy-washy, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Adjective — Lacking firmness or clear opinions; vague, indecisive and unwilling to commit to a position.
Synonyms
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Synonyms by Meaning
1. adjective informal
Lacking firmness or clear opinions; vague, indecisive and unwilling to commit to a position.
“He gave a wishy-washy answer that pleased nobody.”
Opposites
How to use wishy-washy
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
Informal and always disapproving. Usually hyphenated.
Etymology
A reduplication of "washy", meaning thin or watery, with vowel variation of the kind found in dilly-dally and knick-knack.
Full origin of wishy-washy →Frequently asked questions
Is wishy-washy hyphenated?
Yes. The standard spelling in both British and American dictionaries is wishy-washy with a hyphen. Writing it as two separate words is treated as an error.
What is the difference between wishy-washy and indecisive?
Indecisive describes someone who cannot make up their mind, and is fairly neutral. Wishy-washy is informal and more scornful, suggesting a general lack of backbone or conviction rather than a single hard decision.
Can wishy-washy describe a colour?
Yes. Applied to colour, flavour or drinks it means pale, weak or watery — a wishy-washy pink, a wishy-washy soup.