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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Emotions on Display
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
If there was a disappointment, it was the timid performance in the FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea at Wembley.
From BBC ● May 25, 2026
But it was "far too timid" in view of "the damage and trauma caused by these practices", she added.
From Barron's ● May 13, 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
Before he entered politics, Wilson would describe the American people as “selfish, ignorant, timid, stubborn” and “foolish.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 15, 2026
At first he was too timid, but then the male two-legs picked him up and put him down close to her.
From "Tiger, Tiger" by Lynne Reid Banks
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
Clark!" said Potts, "you're getting timider and timider.
From Cord and Creese by De Mille, James
But anon, imbued With a sudden, bounding access Of passion, it relaxes All timider persuasion.
From Dreams and Days: Poems by Lathrop, George Parsons
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
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
They made Cornelia feel as much at home with them on the summit they had reached, as she felt with the timidest beginners in the Preparatory.
From The Coast of Bohemia by Howells, William Dean
With a great cry of the soul to that God it yearned and felt for through all the darkness and ruin which encompassed it, he laid his hand on hers with the timidest passing touch.
From Robert Elsmere by Ward, Humphry, Mrs.
But the dragons are dead and converted into poor fossil ichthyosauruses, incapable of biting the timidest damsel or the most corpulent knight that ever came out of the Stock Exchange.
From G. K. Chesterton, A Critical Study by West, Julius
The timidest one will turn and fight with every sign of fury.
From Outwitting Our Nerves A Primer of Psychotherapy by Jackson, Josephine A.
I like to know what two observing eyes saw and the feelings that sometimes made the timidest heroes—sometimes cravens.
From The Iron Game A Tale of the War by Keenan, Henry F. (Henry Francis)
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.
