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.
"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 must say, Gillian is not a shrinking violet; she has a very strong screen presence always.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 2, 2022
“She’s no shrinking violet, and when she has an idea she pursues it,” Mellor said.
From New York Times • Apr. 8, 2022
He had named her Violet after shrinking violet when she had started seeing Dr. Payne.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
