Meanings
plural milksops
- broadlyderogatoryAn easily frightened, ineffectual, or weak person.
“That milksop of a creature pretend to be worthy of such a woman as Mrs. Pendennis,” broke out the Doctor: “where will impudence stop next!”
1848 November – 1850 December, William Makepeace Thackeray, chapter XVI, in The History of Pendennis. […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1849–1850, →OCLC1 more example
And vvho doth lead them but a paltrey fellovv,? / Long kept in Brittaine at our mothers coſt, / A milkeſopt, one that neuer in his life / Felt ſo much colde as ouer ſhooes in ſnovv: […]
c. 1593 (date written), [William Shakespeare], The Tragedy of King Richard the Third. […] (First Quarto), London: […] Valentine Sims [and Peter Short] for Andrew Wise, […], published 1597, →OCLC, [Act V, scene iii], signature M2, versoSynonyms: milquetoast, sissy, wuss
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAn easily frightened, ineffectual, or weak person.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna timid man or boy considered childish or unassertive
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Englishmilksop
- Englishmilksop
From Middle English milksop, mylk sop, mylke soppe, equivalent to milk + sop.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian мамино синче
- мамино синче (mamino sinče)easily frightened, ineffectual, or weak person
Czech bačkora
- bačkoraeasily frightened, ineffectual, or weak person
Dutch bangerik, kluns
- bangerikeasily frightened, ineffectual, or weak person
- klunseasily frightened, ineffectual, or weak person
- watjeeasily frightened, ineffectual, or weak person
- doetjeeasily frightened, ineffectual, or weak person
- schuimpjeeasily frightened, ineffectual, or weak person
Esperanto malfortulo, feblulo
- malfortuloeasily frightened, ineffectual, or weak person
- febluloeasily frightened, ineffectual, or weak person
- kovardoeasily frightened, ineffectual, or weak person
- leporkoroeasily frightened, ineffectual, or weak person
- invertitoeasily frightened, ineffectual, or weak person
- eŭnukoeasily frightened, ineffectual, or weak person
Finnish pullamössö, pullamössö
- pullamössöpiece of bread in milk
- pullamössödish consisting of bread pieces sprinkled with sugar and covered with milk
- vätyseasily frightened, ineffectual, or weak person
- arkajalkaeasily frightened, ineffectual, or weak person
French mauviette, trouillard
- mauvietteeasily frightened, ineffectual, or weak person
- trouillardeasily frightened, ineffectual, or weak person
- poltroneasily frightened, ineffectual, or weak person
- couardeasily frightened, ineffectual, or weak person
Hungarian anyámasszony katonája
- anyámasszony katonájaeasily frightened, ineffectual, or weak person
Italian femminuccia, coniglio
- femminucciaeasily frightened, ineffectual, or weak person
- coniglioeasily frightened, ineffectual, or weak person
- mammolettaeasily frightened, ineffectual, or weak person
- polloeasily frightened, ineffectual, or weak person
- merloeasily frightened, ineffectual, or weak person
- smidollatoeasily frightened, ineffectual, or weak person
- pappa molleeasily frightened, ineffectual, or weak person
- pappamolleeasily frightened, ineffectual, or weak person
- rammollitoeasily frightened, ineffectual, or weak person
- fifoneeasily frightened, ineffectual, or weak person
- codardoeasily frightened, ineffectual, or weak person
- cortigianoeasily frightened, ineffectual, or weak person
Russian хлю́пик, мо́края ку́рица
- хлю́пик (xljúpik)easily frightened, ineffectual, or weak person
- мо́края ку́рица (mókraja kúrica)easily frightened, ineffectual, or weak person
- тря́пка (trjápka)easily frightened, ineffectual, or weak person
Spanish mariquita, baldragas
- mariquitaeasily frightened, ineffectual, or weak person
- baldragaseasily frightened, ineffectual, or weak person
Cite this entry
milksop. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/milksop
“milksop.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/milksop. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “milksop,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/milksop.
Source: milksop on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.