bashful

adjective bash·ful \ ˈbash-fəl \

Definition of bashful

1 :socially shy or timid :diffident, self-conscious

He was bashful as a child.

2 :resulting from or typical of a bashful nature

a bashful smile

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bashfully

play \-fə-lē\ adverb

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bashfulness

play \-fəl-nəs\ noun

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See bashful defined for kids

Examples of bashful in a Sentence

bashful boys asking girls to dance
a bashful child who hid in his room whenever there were visitors in the house

Recent Examples of bashful from the Web

Ask him about himself, and Aaron Judge will smile and put his head down, hesitate, grope for the right answer like a bashful kid whose parents have been bragging about him.

— dom amore, courant.com, "Here Comes The Yankees' Judge: He's The Real Deal," 10 July 2017
Only after the family had urged him to sample some homemade, thick Central American-style tortillas, did Dr. Smith discreetly hand Jorgito the medication for his son, a bashful sixth grader lolling on a couch.

— jan hoffman, New York Times, "Unauthorized Immigrants Steer Clear of Medical Care," 26 June 2017
The hotel was already on lockdown on Wednesday, and an army of landscapers have been busy planting fir trees around the perimeter, to protect coy billionaires and bashful bank bosses from any prying lenses.

— james hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: Lawmakers baffled that immigration getting short shrift in Washington," 2 June 2017
Sebald’s quiet, bashful, mysteriously subaqueous prose brings alive the paradoxical combination of drift and paralysis that has afflicted these lives.

— james wood, The New Yorker, "W. G. Sebald, Humorist," 31 May 2017
Richards' Frank Hesik isn't bashful about his on-court expectations.

— logan malloy, Daily Southtown, "Boys volleyball notes: Frank Hesik wants to be the go-hitter for Richards," 19 May 2017
Hock and retired Officer Bruce Bogg spent much of the presentation educating the small audience of what to look out for and urging people not to be bashful about contacting police.

— pioneer press, chicagotribune.com, "Citizens can play an important role in thwarting crime: Elmwood Park police," 1 May 2017
Fallon premiered a bashful, silent impression of Trump’s son-in-law and close advisor Jared Kushner in this week’s cold open, opposite Alec Baldwin’s Donald Trump.

— joanna robinson, HWD, "S.N.L.: Watch Jimmy Fallon’s Jared Kushner Kick Steve Bannon out of the White House," 15 Apr. 2017
Although 29 years old, Thomas sometimes seems as bashful as a child to exert his will in the locker room or on the field.

— mark kiszla, The Denver Post, "Kiszla: The next big steps Von Miller, Demaryius Thomas have to take to make the Hall of Fame," 11 Apr. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bashful.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of bashful

Early Modern English bash "to lose composure, be dismayed" (going back to Middle English baishen, basshen, probably aphetic variant of abaissen, abaschen "to abash") + ¹-ful

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First Known Use: 1548

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bashful Synonyms

Synonyms

backward, shy, coy, demure, diffident, introverted, modest, recessive, retiring, self-effacing, sheepish, withdrawn

Antonyms

extroverted (also extraverted), immodest, outgoing

Related Words

antisocial, lone, lone-wolf, unsociable, unsocial; awkward, embarrassed, self-conscious, unadventurous, unassertive, unenterprising; inhibited, reserved, uneasy, uptight

Near Antonyms

boon, clubbable (also clubable), companionable, convivial, gregarious, sociable, social; bold, dashing, forceful; brash, forward, overbold, uninhibited, unreserved

Synonym Discussion of bashful

shy, bashful, diffident, modest, coy mean not inclined to be forward. shy implies a timid reserve and a shrinking from familiarity or contact with others.