wishy-washy

Definition

Wavering; lacking in commitment, certainty, support, and (often) clarity; namby-pamby.

Etymology

Reduplication of washy; more at Wikipedia under ablaut reduplication. The wish portion of the term is explained much more by the ablaut reduplication than by any coincidental semantic appropriateness (such as that wishy-washy people wish that they could have it both ways), although the latter effect may play some nonzero cognitive role in word-finding. Compare also swish, swash, splish, and splash regarding any possible sound symbolism.

Example Sentences

• "Near-synonyms: vacillating, vacillatory"
• "Not wanting to be pressed for details, public relations gave a wishy-washy answer."
• "I’m not about to vote Conservative myself (I’m a wishy-washy centrist who liked Tony Blair’s early work and has since mostly voted Labour, with an occasional swing to the Liberal Democrats and Greens)[…]"