noun
milksop
MILK-sahp/ˈmɪlksɑːp/
A person regarded as weak or timid.
The timid person is dismissed as a milksop for yielding the chair so readily.
Etymology
The compound evokes bread soaked in milk, an image of softness used contemptuously for someone seen as lacking spirit or resolve.
More examples
- She refuses to be treated like a milksop.
- The coach dismisses cautious players as milksops.
- He may speak softly, but he is no milksop.
Forms
milksop · milksops
Similar words
- coward
- Emphasizes lack of courage rather than weakness or ineffectiveness.
- weakling
- Emphasizes weakness, often physical, rather than timidity alone.