mealy-mouthed
Afraid of candor
Mealy-mouthed describes someone who avoids speaking directly or honestly, especially to avoid giving offense.
The word suggests timidity or insincerity—a reluctance to say what one really means: Stop being mealy-mouthed and tell me what you actually think.
A mealy-mouthed politician hedges and equivocates rather than taking a clear position.
Uncertain in meaning
- noncommittalNot expressing clear opinion
- hedgingNoncommittal maneuvering
- sidesteppingMoving aside to avoid
- dodgingAvoiding by moving aside
weaseling · prevaricating · fudging · cagey · ducking · deflecting · avoiding · fence-sitting
Feigning ignorance or innocence
- hypocriticalFeigning beliefs one lacks
- duplicitousDeliberately deceptive in nature
- two-facedInsincere and deceptive
- feignedFalsely displayed or simulated
phony · unctuous · sycophantic · obsequious · smooth-talking · oily · slick · hollow
Lacking courage or resolve
- cowardlyWithout bravery or nerve
- gutlessLacking bravery or nerve
- weak-kneedLacking resolve or courage
- pusillanimousLacking courage or determination
lily-livered · mousy · craven · faint-hearted · milquetoast · namby-pamby · timorous · submissive
equivocal
Uncertain in meaning
- noncommittalNot expressing clear opinion
- hedgingNoncommittal maneuvering
- sidesteppingMoving aside to avoid
dodging · weaseling · prevaricating · fudging · cagey · ducking · deflecting · avoiding · fence-sitting · wishy-washy
disingenuous
Feigning ignorance or innocence
- hypocriticalFeigning beliefs one lacks
- duplicitousDeliberately deceptive in nature
- two-facedInsincere and deceptive
feigned · phony · unctuous · sycophantic · obsequious · smooth-talking · oily · slick · hollow · empty
spineless
Lacking courage or resolve
- cowardlyWithout bravery or nerve
- gutlessLacking bravery or nerve
- weak-kneedLacking resolve or courage
pusillanimous · lily-livered · mousy · craven · faint-hearted · milquetoast · namby-pamby · timorous · submissive · deferential
- evasive languageequivocation, hedging, vagueness, circumlocution, doublespeak
- hypocrisyhypocrisy, hypocrite, sanctimony, two-faced, self-righteousness
- evasionevasion, avoiding, avoids, evade, dodging
- sugarcoatedsugarcoated, candy-coated, sweetened, honeyed, sugary
- euphemistictactful, polite, mild, delicate, indirect
mealy-mouthedblunt
Dull or tactlessly direct
direct · straightforward · forthright · plain-spoken · unequivocal