timid

[tim-id]

adjective

timider, timidest 

1. lacking in self-assurance, courage, or bravery; easily alarmed; timorous; shy.

   Synonyms: fainthearted, fearful

2. characterized by or indicating fear.

   a timid approach to a problem.

timid

/ ˈtɪmɪd /

adjective

1. easily frightened or upset, esp by human contact; shy

2. indicating shyness or fear

Other Word Forms

• timidly adverb
• timidity noun
• timidness noun
• overtimid adjective
• overtimidly adverb
• untimid adjective
• untimidly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of timid¹

First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin timidus “fearful,” equivalent to tim(ēre) “to fear” + -idus adjective suffix; -id ⁴

Word History and Origins

Origin of timid¹

C16: from Latin timidus, from timēre to fear

Synonym Study

See cowardly.

Example Sentences

A £50,000 reward has been offered for information on the unsolved murder of a "timid" and "trusting" man found dead in Salford.

Read more on BBC

Another staffer tells me: "There is no fire, no passion, no vision – we are timid and flat-footed."

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When he and his siblings — all named after blue-collar jobs — arrived in late July, they were timid.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

One side is too timid to weaponize its martyrs, while the other denies that the extremists who create them are even a problem.

Read more on Salon

"Australia cannot afford a timid 2035 target when our own government data shows the catastrophic costs of inaction," the head of the the non-profit said.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• ambivalent 
• bashful 
• demure 
• diffident 
• fearful 
• feeble 
• frightened 
• gentle 
• humble 
• modest 
• nervous 
• weak