Nearby Words
Related Questions
| Main Entry: | |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | hesitant; unconfident |
| Synonyms: | backward, bashful, blenching, chary, constrained, coy, demure, distrustful, doubtful, dubious, flinching, humble, insecure, meek, modest, mousy, rabbity, reluctant, reserved, retiring, self-conscious, self-effacing, sheepish, shrinking, shy, suspicious, timid, timorous, unassertive, unassuming, unassured, unobtrusive, unpoised, unsure, withdrawn |
| Antonyms: | bold, confident |
| Main Entry: | bashful |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | shy |
| Synonyms: | abashed, backward, blushful, blushing, chary, confused, constrained, coy, demure, diffident, embarrassed, humble, modest, nervous, overmodest, recoiling, reserved, reticent, retiring, self-conscious, self-effacing, shamefaced, sheepish, shrinking, silent, timid, timorous, unassertive, verecund |
| Antonyms: | confident, unabashed, unshy |
| Main Entry: | cowardly |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | fearful |
| Synonyms: | afraid, anxious, apprehensive, backward, base, caitiff, chicken-hearted, cowering, cowhearted, craven, dastardly, diffident, dismayed, fainthearted, frightened, gutless, having the willies, jittery, lacking courage, lily-livered, nervous, no guts, panicky, paper tiger, pigeonhearted, pusillanimous, recreant, retiring, running scared, scared, shrinking, shy, soft*, spineless, timid, timorous, weak, weak-kneed, worthless, yellow*, yellow-bellied |
| Antonyms: | bold, brave, courageous, daring, dauntless, unafraid, undaunted, unfearful |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | coy |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | very modest |
| Synonyms: | backward, bashful, blushing, coquettish, demure, diffident, evasive, flirtatious, humble, kittenish, overmodest, prudish, rabbity, reserved, retiring, self-effacing, shrinking, shy, skittish, timid, unassertive |
| Antonyms: | aggressive, forward, immodest, impudent, unshy |
| Main Entry: | demure |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | reserved, affected |
| Synonyms: | backward, bashful, blushing, close, coy, decorous, diffident, earnest, humble, modest, nice, prim, prissy, proper, prudish, reticent, retiring, sedate, serious, shy, silent, skittish, sober, solemn, staid, strait-laced, timid, unassertive, unassuming, unassured |
| Notes: | demur is the verb 'to object or voice opposition' while demure is the adjective meaning 'modest, shy' |
| Antonyms: | aggressive, bold, extroverted, outgoing, shameless, strong |
| Main Entry: | dubious |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | doubtful |
| Synonyms: | arguable, chancy, debatable, diffident, disputable, dubitable, equivocal, far-fetched, fishy, fly-by-night, hesitant, iffy, improbable, indecisive, moot, mootable, open, perplexed, problematic, questionable, reluctant, shady, skeptical, suspect, suspicious, touch and go, trustless, unassured, uncertain, unclear, unconvinced, undecided, undependable, unlikely, unreliable, unsure, untrustworthy, untrusty, wavering |
| Notes: | a person is capable of doubting, whereas a thing is dubitable; dubious, unlike doubtful, carries the connotation of suspicion |
| Antonyms: | certain, definite, doubtless, positive, reliable, sure, trustworthy, trusty, undoubtful |
| Main Entry: | fearful |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | alarmed, apprehensive |
| Synonyms: | aflutter, afraid, aghast, agitated, anxious, chicken, chickenhearted, diffident, discomposed, disquieted, disturbed, fainthearted, frightened, goose-bumpy, have cold feet, hesitant, in a dither, intimidated, jittery, jumpy, lily-livered, mousy, nerveless, nervous, nervy, panicky, perturbed, phobic, pusillanimous, quivery, rabbity, running scared, scared, shaky, sheepish*, shrinking, shy, skittish, solicitous, spineless, tense, timid, timorous, tremulous, uneasy, unmanly, weak-kneed, worried, yellow* |
| Notes: | someone may be fearful; someone or something may be fearsome |
| Antonyms: | bold, brave, courageous, inapprehensive, unafraid, unfearful |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | hesitant |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | uncertain, waiting |
| Synonyms: | afraid, averse, backward, dawdling, delaying, diffident, disinclined, doubtful, doubting, faltering, half-hearted, halting, hanging back, hesitating, indecisive, irresolute, lacking confidence, lazy, loath, reluctant, shy, skeptical, slow, tentative, timid, uneager, unpredictable, unsure, unwilling, vacillating, wavering |
| Antonyms: | certain, definite, resolute, sure, unhesitant, unwavering |
| Main Entry: | humble |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | meek, unassuming |
| Synonyms: | apprehensive, backward, bashful, biddable, blushing, content, courteous, deferential, demure, diffident, docile, fearful, gentle, hesitant, lowly, manageable, mild, modest, obliging, obsequious, ordinary, polite, quiet, reserved, respectful, retiring, reverential, sedate, self-conscious, self-effacing, servile, sheepish, shy, simple, soft-spoken, standoffish, submissive, subservient, supplicatory, tentative, timid, timorous, tractable, unambitious, unobtrusive, unostentatious, unpretentious, withdrawn |
| Antonyms: | assertive, boasting, brave, conceited, egotistical, insolent, pretentious, proud, showy |
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition
Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
