| Main Entry: | |
| 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: | insecure |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | uncertain, worried |
| Synonyms: | Delphic, afraid, anxious, apprehensive, choked, diffident, hanging by thread, hesitant, jumpy, on thin ice, questioning, shaky, touch and go, touchy*, troubled, unassured, unconfident, unpoised, unsure, up in the air, uptight*, vague |
| Antonyms: | certain, confident, secure, sure |
| Main Entry: | modest |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | shy |
| Synonyms: | bashful, blushing, chaste, coy, demure, diffident, discreet, humble, lowly, meek, moderate, nice, proper, prudent, quiet, reserved, resigned, reticent, retiring, seemly, self-conscious, self-effacing, sheepish, silent, simple, temperate, timid, unassertive, unassuming, unassured, unboastful, unobtrusive, unpresuming, unpretending, unpretentious, withdrawing |
| Antonyms: | arrogant, assured, bold, brave, conceited, courageous, egotistical, proud, self-confident, unabashed, unashamed |
| Main Entry: | shy |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | quiet and self-conscious |
| Synonyms: | afraid, apprehensive, averse, backward, bashful, cautious, chary, circumspect, conscious, coy, demure, diffident, disinclined, distrustful, fearful, hesitant, humble, indisposed, introvert, introverted, loath, loner, modest, nervous, recessive, reluctant, reserved, reticent, retiring, self-effacing, shamefaced, sheepish, shrinking, skittish, suspicious, timid, unassertive, unassured, uneager, uneffusive, unresponsive, unsocial, unwilling, wary |
| Antonyms: | confident, extroverted, unashamed, unreserved, unshy |
| Main Entry: | timid |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | shy |
| Synonyms: | afraid, ambivalent, apprehensive, badgered, bashful, browbeaten, bullied, capricious, cowardly, cowed, cowering, coy, daunted, demure, diffident, fainthearted, fearful, feeble, frightened, gentle, having cold feet, humble, intimidated, irresolute, milquetoast, modest, mousy, nervous, pusillanimous, retiring, shaky, shrinking, soft, spineless, spiritless, submissive, timid, timorous, trembling, unassertive, unassured, unnerved, vacillating, wavering, weak, yellow* |
| Notes: | timid is used of a person's character or disposition; timorous is used of a person's action or behavior |
| Antonyms: | bold, brave, daring, extroverted, fearless |
| Main Entry: | undependable |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | irresponsible |
| Synonyms: | bum, capricious, careless, changeable, dubious, erratic, fickle, fly-by-night, inconsistent, inconstant, indefinite, indeterminate, loose*, no bargain, no-good, treacherous, trick, tricky, trustless, unassured, uncertain, unpredictable, unreliable, unsafe, unsound, unstable, unsure, untrustworthy, variable |
| Antonyms: | dependable, reliable, responsible, trustworthy |
| Main Entry: | unsure |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | doubtful, insecure |
| Synonyms: | betwixt and between, borderline, distrustful, dubious, fluctuant, fly-by-night, hesitant, iffy, in a quandary, indecisive, indeterminate, irresolute, lacking, mistrustful, open, problematic, rootless, shaky, skeptical, suspicious, touch and go, unassured, uncertain, unclear, unconfident, unconvinced, undecided, undependable, unreliable, unstable, untrustworthy, untrusty, up for grabs, vacillating, wavering, weak, wimpy, wobbly |
| Antonyms: | certain, definite, secure, sure, undoubted |
| Main Entry: | untrustworthy |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | not dependable, unfaithful |
| Synonyms: | capricious, conniving, crooked, deceitful, devious, dishonest, disloyal, dubious, fair-weather, faithless, false, fickle, fink, fly-by-night, guileful, irresponsible, questionable, shady, sharp, shifty, slippery, sneaky, treacherous, tricky, trustless, two-faced, two-timing, unassured, undependable, unreliable, unsafe, unsure, untrue, untrusty |
| Antonyms: | dependable, faithful, honest, reliable, trustworthy |