shrinking violet

noun

1. a shy, modest, or self-effacing person.

shrinking violet

noun

1. informal,  a shy person

Word History and Origins

Origin of shrinking violet¹

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

But Rachel is no shrinking violet, holding her own against lowlifes and schemers while navigating the movie’s unexpected turns, shocking violence and wrenching tension.

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They are hardy — any flower that grows next to a freeway ain’t no shrinking violet.

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"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.

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The centenarian is remembered by his friends as a man with “impeccable diction” and gentle spirit, but he was no shrinking violet.

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“I put up a fight because I’m not exactly a shrinking violet,” she says.

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