nebbish

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Related to nebbishes: tsoris, shlemiel, nebbishy, ganef, ganof

neb·bish

 (nĕb′ĭsh)
n.
A person regarded as weak-willed or timid.
[Yiddish nebekh, poor, unfortunate, of Slavic origin; see bhag- in Indo-European roots.]
neb′bish·y adj.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

nebbish

(ˈnɛbɪʃ)
adj
(of a man) timid and submissive
n
a man who is timid and submissive
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

neb•bish

(ˈnɛb ɪʃ)

n. Slang.
a pitifully ineffectual, inept, and timid person.
[1890–95; < Yiddish nebekh poor, unfortunate, probably < Slavic; compare Czech nebohý poor]
neb′bish•y, adj.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.nebbish - (Yiddish) a timid unfortunate simpleton
nebbech
Yiddish - a dialect of High German including some Hebrew and other words; spoken in Europe as a vernacular by many Jews; written in the Hebrew script
simpleton, simple - a person lacking intelligence or common sense
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

nebbish

noun
A totally insignificant person:
cipher, nobody, nonentity, nothing.
Informal: pip-squeak, zero.
Slang: shrimp, zilch.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
Nebbich

nebbish

n (sl) → Schlappschwanz m (inf)
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
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And while there are certainly enough anti-Semites around to keep whipping this up, unfortunately a lot of Jews also buy into the idea of Jews as nebbishes. There are legions of Jews in Hollywood who are just the opposite--Kirk Douglas, James Caan, Douglas Fairbanks and Paul Newman, to name a few.
The Perennial Outsider Rejects Jewish Male Stereotypes
Earlier: Hot Wives Break Up With Prominent Nebbishes
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