Nearby Words
| Main Entry: | |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | afraid |
| Synonyms: | apprehensive, faint, fainthearted, fearful, hesitant, meek, shrinking, shuddering, shy, tentative, timid, tremulous, unassertive |
| Notes: | timid is used of a person's character or disposition; timorous is used of a person's action or behavior |
| Antonyms: | bold, brazen, forthcoming |
| 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: | craven |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | weak, timid |
| Synonyms: | chicken*, cowardly, dastardly, fearful, gutless, lily-livered, mean-spirited, poltroonish, pusillanimous, scared, timorous, weak-kneed, wimpish, wimpy, wussy, yellow*, yellow-bellied |
| Antonyms: | bold, brave, courageous, heroic, strong |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | diffident |
| 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shrinking, shy, suspicious, timid, timorous, unassertive, unassuming, unassured, unobtrusive, unpoised, unsure, withdrawn |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: | 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: | 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 |
| Main Entry: | jumpy |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | nervous |
| Synonyms: | agitated, antsy*, anxious, apprehensive, creepy*, excitable, excited, fidgety, frisky, high-strung, jittery, on edge, on pins and needles, restless, sensitive, shaky, skittish, spooked, tense, timorous, unrestful |
| Antonyms: | calm, collected, composed, easy-going, laid-back |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | mousy |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | drab; quiet |
| Synonyms: | bashful, colorless, diffident, dull, indeterminate, ineffectual, pale, plain, self-effacing, shy, timid, timorous, unassertive, unassuming |
| Antonyms: | beautiful, extroverted, fancy, fixed-up |
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.
