bashfulness

noun

Definition of bashfulnessnext
as in shyness

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bashfulness Her skin—something known as Frubber, a porous patented blend of fleshlike elastic polymers—stretched over a structure of plastic and titanium, and there was no flicker of bashfulness. — Dan Turello, New Yorker, 10 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bashfulness
  1. shyness
  2. embarrassment
  3. timidity
  4. inhibition
  5. restraint
  6. skittishness
Noun
  • What is striking is that all these versions agree on her shyness, modesty, and propriety.
    — Eva Blanco Medina, Vogue, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Instead of focusing on adventurous missions like PAW Patrol, Super Monsters emphasizes the more emotional aspects of childhood, like overcoming shyness, being a good friend, and learning from your mistakes.
    — Kara Nesvig, Parents, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of shyness
Noun
  • Then came three more defeats, capped by a 12-1 embarrassment on Saturday against the AL East champion Rays.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 28 Sep. 2026
  • The revocation become a national story, and a source of embarrassment within TCU’s small, loyal community.
    — Mac Engel September 24, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of embarrassment
Noun
  • Choices, of course, have to be made, and timidity won’t get the job done.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
  • The complaint of timidity could be read as a criticism of 79-year-old Congressman Bobby Scott of Virginia, the ranking Democrat on the Education and Workforce Committee and panel’s chair when the party was in the majority.
    — Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of timidity
Noun
  • Many visual motifs emerge, most notably the men in the crowd who shed any inhibitions to cry, dance, and belt the songs at the top of their lungs.
    — Marshall Shaffer, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2026
  • As art and its creators have shed their inhibitions in this post-Sadean world, politicians and cultural commentators have reliably lined up to condemn this total freedom of expression as being dangerous to society.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of inhibition
Noun
  • The African Union urged Ethiopia and its neighbors to exercise restraint as growing tensions threaten to destabilize the region.
    — semafor.com, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Another worker was seen preparing food without a proper hair restraint, though this was corrected.
    — Rashad Alexander, Kansas City Star, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of restraint
Noun
  • Gorky was using European traditions—Roberto Matta’s Surrealism, Picasso’s neoclassicism, Cézanne’s explorations—to make work that captured New York’s sexiness, skittishness, and force.
    — Hilton Als, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026
  • This summer, major shoe brands from Nike to Adidas to Under Armour to On have each expressed skittishness about the retail environment for sneaker sales.
    — Sara Germano, Sportico.com, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of skittishness

Browse Nearby Words

bashfully
bashfulness
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Cite this Entry

“Bashfulness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bashfulness. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

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