Meaning & use
nebbish
A timid, weak, or ineffectual person who inspires pity rather than respect or fear.
See it in a sentence
The comedy's hero was a lovable nebbish constantly overshadowed by his confident coworkers.
Nobody expected the quiet nebbish in accounting to stand up to the company's owner.
A note on using this word
Nebbish comes from Yiddish and is common in American English, often used with a mix of pity and mild affection rather than pure insult.
Words with a similar meaning
pushoverweakling
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
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