timid
Americanadjective
-
lacking in self-assurance, courage, or bravery; easily alarmed; timorous; shy.
- Synonyms:
- fainthearted, fearful
-
characterized by or indicating fear.
a timid approach to a problem.
adjective
-
easily frightened or upset, esp by human contact; shy
-
indicating shyness or fear
Synonym Usage
See cowardly.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of timid
First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin timidus “fearful,” equivalent to tim(ēre) “to fear” + -idus adjective suffix; see -id 4
Explanation
Timid means "overly cautious or fearful," like a timid driver who drives very slowly or avoids highways altogether. Timid comes from the Middle French word timide, meaning "easily frightened, shy." Those who are timid often worry that things will go wrong: a timid eater orders bland food to avoid the possibility not liking the flavor of something new, just as a timid partygoer talks to people he already knows, afraid that he won't be able to talk to strangers.
Vocabulary lists containing timid
The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 5
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The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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Emotions on Display
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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.
See Examples For:
But de Brouwer said the EU was "timid" about enforcing the law.
From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026
This wasn’t a timid outfit in their Waldo jerseys—this team went out and took it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
Perhaps too timid with the bat, England were unable to counter a pitch that appeared low and slow.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
Still the editor-in-chief of Runway, Miranda is working to smooth her edges to avoid causing a stir in an industry that no longer excuses mistreatment, even though her employees remain timid in her midst.
From Salon ● May 1, 2026
The giraffe is timid and beautiful and quite possibly the strangest creature I’ve ever seen.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
She'd eat me," said the spider, "and, anyhow, the competition on the wall is dreadful, and the flies are getting wiser and timider every season.
From The Crock of Gold by Stephens, James
Clark!" said Potts, "you're getting timider and timider.
From Cord and Creese by De Mille, James
At the top of the companion—ladder Melissa stood waiting for us, demure, but subdued, with a still timider look than ever upon that sweet, shrinking, small face of hers.
From Stories by English Authors: the Sea by Various
The proximity of the farm had had the effect of scaring antelopes and gazelles and the timider animals away from the neighbourhood.
From Settlers and Scouts by Strang, Herbert
The tenderer and the timider of creatures Often desert the brood that has been handled, Or turned about, or indiscreetly looked at.
From The Young Lady's Mentor A Guide to the Formation of Character. In a Series of Letters to Her Unknown Friends by Lady, An English
To give you a clue, recollect that he was the timidest of souls.
From Bunyan Characters (2nd Series) by Whyte, Alexander
Some of the musicians jumped off the key when they saw my face, and one or two of the timidest señoritas let out a screech or two.
From Roads of Destiny by Henry, O.
It is said that outside the field of battle he was one of the timidest of men, and even submitted quite tamely to the insolence of his own servants.
From Great Men and Famous Women. Vol. 2 A series of pen and pencil sketches of the lives of more than 200 of the most prominent personages in History by Horne, Charles F. (Charles Francis)
It was always upon some perfectly innocent nothing, which the timidest son might have permitted himself, that the wrath of Darius overwhelmingly burst.
From Clayhanger by Bennett, Arnold
My mean and abject spirit Dost thou rebuke, O timidest of all, Vanquish'd e'en by a woman, her who gave For thee, her young fair husband, her own life!
From Story of Orestes A Condensation of the Trilogy by Moulton, Richard Green
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.
