bashful

[bash-fuhl]

adjective

1. uncomfortably diffident and easily embarrassed; shy; timid.

   Synonyms: modest, abashed

2. indicative of, accompanied by, or proceeding from bashfulness.

bashful

/ ˈbæʃfʊl /

adjective

1. disposed to attempt to avoid notice through shyness or modesty; diffident; timid

2. indicating or characterized by shyness or modesty

Other Word Forms

• bashfully adverb
• bashfulness noun
• overbashful adjective
• overbashfully adverb
• overbashfulness noun
• unbashful adjective
• unbashfully adverb
• unbashfulness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of bashful¹

First recorded in 1540–50; (a)bash + -ful

Word History and Origins

Origin of bashful¹

C16: from bash , short for _abash + _-ful

Synonym Study

See shy ¹.

Example Sentences

But when you ask them about all that success, the octet are suddenly bashful.

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For “Task,” Jones asked her bashful but patient scene partner to redo one scene, an explosive fight Maeve has with Robbie, quite a few times, eager to get the perfect take.

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If things start to stick, a splash of water or stock will deglaze and deepen the flavor, building a kind of jammy intensity that’s hard to believe came from such a bashful vegetable.

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In bashful tones, he said his main business was government tenders secured with foreign partners in the areas of renewable energy, engineering procurement, construction and power projects.

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The samosas, the second helping of naan, the kind of slightly bashful dinner invitation that arrives not with a flourish, but with a container of lamb curry.

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Related Words

• confused 
• coy 
• diffident 
• embarrassed www.thesaurus.com
• reticent 
• self-conscious 
• sheepish 
• timid