bashful
[ bash-fuhl ]
/ ˈbæʃ fəl /
adjective
uncomfortably diffident and easily embarrassed; shy; timid.
indicative of, accompanied by, or proceeding from bashfulness.
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Nearby words
bash, bash up, bashan, bashaw, basher, bashful, bashfully, bashi-bazouk, bashibazouk, bashing, bashkir
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for bashful
British Dictionary definitions for bashful
bashful
/ (ˈbæʃfʊl) /
adjective
disposed to attempt to avoid notice through shyness or modesty; diffident; timid
indicating or characterized by shyness or modesty
Derived Formsbashfully, adverbbashfulness, noun
Word Origin for bashful
C16: from bash, short for abash + -ful
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for bashful
bashful
1540s, from baishen "to be filled with consternation or dismay" (mid-14c.), from Old French baissier "bring down, humiliate" (see abash). Related: Bashfully; bashfulness (1530s).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper