milquetoast
milque·toast/ˈmɪlk.toʊ̯st/adjective, noun
milquetoast is spelled M-I-L-Q-U-E-T-O-A-S-T: 11 letters and 2 syllables (milque·toast). It appears about once in every 12 million words in written English, the 105,204th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a derogatory adjective, milquetoast means “Meek, timid; lacking character or effectiveness” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in milquetoast?
| Letters | 11: M-I-L-Q-U-E-T-O-A-S-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: milque·toast |
| In writing | about once in every 12 million words; the 105,204th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is milquetoast?
Milquetoast appears about once in every 12 million words in written English, the 105,204th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce milquetoast?
- /ˈmɪlk.təʊ̯st/
- UK /ˈmɪlk.təʊ̯st/
- US /ˈmɪlk.toʊ̯st/
Milquetoast has 2 syllables, split milque·toast in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-milquetoast.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of milquetoast
- more milquetoast comparative
- most milquetoast superlative
- milktoast
- milquetoasts plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does milquetoast mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
derogatoryinformalMeek, timid; lacking character or effectiveness.
noun
- 1
derogatoryinformalA person of meek or timid disposition; a person who lacks character or effectiveness.
adjective
- 1
Alternative letter-case form of milquetoast.
noun
- 1
Alternative letter-case form of milquetoast.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Milquetoast in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense person of meek or timid disposition; person who lacks character or effectiveness:
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.