# wishy-washy

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈwɪʃ.iˌwɒʃ.i/

## Definitions
1. Wavering; lacking in commitment, certainty, support, and (often) clarity; namby-pamby.
2. Thin or watery.

## 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.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/wishy-washy