mealymouthed

adjective

mealy·​mouthed ˈmē-lē-ˌmau̇t͟hd How to pronounce mealymouthed (audio)
-ˌmau̇tht
: not plain and straightforward : devious
a mealymouthed politician

Examples of mealymouthed in a Sentence

a mealymouthed compliment from a jealous competitor
Recent Examples on the Web But that word can be a mealymouthed way to describe housing that is still out of reach for low-income New Yorkers, and Won knows that better than most. Curbed, 23 Nov. 2022 The mealymouthed Dave Chappelle has even suggested that Ye’s turn to conspiracy thinking is an understandable reaction to Jewish prominence in Hollywood. Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 2 Dec. 2022 Mixed messages threaten to undercut the impact of these PSAs, and soft targets can make for mealymouthed calls to action. Mac Schwerin, The Atlantic, 11 Nov. 2022 But Roman, so often indecisive and mealymouthed, calmly insists that there’s no need to worry about those things. Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 7 Oct. 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mealymouthed.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1577, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mealymouthed was in 1577

Dictionary Entries Near mealymouthed

Cite this Entry

“Mealymouthed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mealymouthed. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

mealymouthed

adjective
mealy·​mouthed ˌmē-lē-ˈmau̇t͟hd How to pronounce mealymouthed (audio)
-ˈmau̇tht
: not plain and sincere in speech
a mealymouthed speaker
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