EN

Synonyms for bashful

  • adjective

Most common

timid shy sheepish diffident

All synonyms

Adjective

1. Timid — shy; not liking to be noticed; socially timid

timid, shy, sheepish, diffident, timorous, modest, reserved, retiring, backward, shrinking, shamefaced, demure, coy dated

Other

blushful, blate UK

Antonyms

bold, forward, outgoing

All antonyms of bashful →

Definitions

  1. adj. 1

    Shy; not liking to be noticed; socially timid.

Related words

Word family
bashfully bashfulness
Phrases
bashful bladder

Example sentences

  • shy Shy children never laugh until everyone else does.
  • timid She seems oddly shy and timid for a press officer.
  • sheepish Ziri was talking with a sheepish air of apology.
  • diffident Tom is such a diffident man. He seems to have quite low self-esteem.

Popularity over time

Word1850 → 2019Trend
bashfulrising
shyrising
timidsteady
sheepishrising
diffidentsteady
blushfulsteady

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

3 letters
shy1, coy1
5 letters
timid2, blate
6 letters
modest2, demure2
8 letters
reserved2, retiring3, backward2, sheepish2, timorous3, blushful
9 letters
shrinking2, diffident
10 letters
shamefaced

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (timid2 = 2 syllables).