namby-pamby Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun an insipid weakling who is foolishly sentimental
  2. adjective satellite weak in willpower, courage or vitality
    gutless; wishy-washy; spineless.

WordNet

Nam"by-pam`by noun
Etymology
From Ambrose Phillips, in ridicule of the extreme simplicity of some of his verses.
Definitions
  1. Talk or writing which is weakly sentimental or affectedly pretty. Macaulay.
Nam"by-pam`by adjective
Definitions
  1. Affectedly pretty; weakly sentimental; finical; insipid. Thackeray.
    Namby-pamby madrigals of love. W. Gifford.

Webster 1913