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definitions

timid

[ tim-id ]
/ ˈtɪm ɪd /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR timid ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

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RELATED WORDS

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

Nearby words

  1. timespan,
  2. timetable,
  3. timewise,
  4. timework,
  5. timeworn,
  6. timidly,
  7. timing,
  8. timing belt,
  9. timing chain,
  10. timing gear

Origin of timid

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

Synonym study

1. See cowardly.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for timidness

timid

/ (ˈtɪmɪd) /

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.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper