shrinking violet
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of shrinking violet
First recorded in 1925–30
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
SoftBank 9984 -12.53%decrease; down pointing triangle Group founder Masayoshi Son, after all, isn’t exactly a shrinking violet when it comes to wild ideas.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2026
They are hardy — any flower that grows next to a freeway ain’t no shrinking violet.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2024
"I always thought he'd be a future champion, but I've really seen him change from that shrinking violet who first stepped into my office," Warren reflects.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2024
Penelope is a shrinking violet, but she’s also a romantic tired of being underestimated and cast as unmarriageable.
From Salon ● May 17, 2024
I mean his pa was purt close to Pap’s size and his ma wasn’t no shrinking violet of a woman neither.
From "The Journey of Little Charlie" by Christopher Paul Curtis
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
