nebbish

English

Etymology

From Yiddish נעביש (nebish), from נעבעך (nebekh, “poor, unfortunate”).

Noun

nebbish (plural nebbishes)

1. One who is fearful and timid, especially in making decisions and plans, in discussions, debates, arguments, and confrontations, and in taking responsibility.

   Actor Rick Moranis often plays a nebbish.

2. (slang, mildly pejorative, US, chiefly New York) A loser.
   • 2001, Foster Hirsh, Love, Sex, Death, and the Meaning of Life: The Films of Woody Allen [1]

     “I don't consider myself a nebbish,” Woody told interviewers early in his career, “but everyone else does.”

Derived terms

• nebbishy