timid

[tim-id]

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adjective, tim·id·er, tim·id·est.

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

characterized by or indicating fear: a timid approach to a problem.

Origin of timid

1540–50; < Latin timidus fearful, equivalent to tim(ēre) to fear + -idus -id⁴

Related formsti·mid·i·ty, tim·id·ness, nountim·id·ly, adverbo·ver·tim·id, adjectiveo·ver·tim·id·ly, adverbo·ver·tim·id·ness, nouno·ver·ti·mid·i·ty, nounun·tim·id, adjectiveun·tim·id·ly, adverbun·tim·id·ness, noun

Synonyms for timid

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1. fearful, fainthearted.

Synonym study

1. See cowardly.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for timidness

oscillation, fluctuation, qualm, dubiety, pause, reluctance, delay, doubt, wavering, indecisiveness, vacillation, timidity, indecision, misgiving, equivocation, irresolution, hesitancy, scruple, unwillingness, mistrust

British Dictionary definitions for timidness

timid

adjective

easily frightened or upset, esp by human contact; shy

indicating shyness or fear

Derived Formstimidity or timidness, nountimidly, adverb

Word Origin for timid

C16: from Latin timidus, from timēre to fear

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for timidness

timid

adj.

1540s, from Middle French timide "easily frightened, shy," from Latin timidus "fearful," from timere "to fear." Related: Timidly; timidness.