shyness

Definition of shynessnext
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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 shyness Although it’s still considered rare, it’s often misdiagnosed as shyness — which can delay treatment. Erin Silvia, PEOPLE, 28 Oct. 2025 And the ego needed to overcome shyness and stage fright collides with the endless rejection that defines the profession. Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025 Chambers, meanwhile, is leaning into shyness on this album cycle by frequently covering her face in photos. Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 24 Sep. 2025 This can range from occasional nerves and shyness to paralyzing fears of social situations and people. Sarah Scott, Parents, 23 Sep. 2025 The shyness could play a factor in one of the reasons why the spry pup is still under the care of the shelter. Tj MacIas, Miami Herald, 22 Sep. 2025 Rose's shyness made the initial transition to shelter life difficult, with the dog struggling to adjust to the hustle and bustle of her new life. Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shyness
Noun
  • The passage from the ordinary way of the world to the contemplative way of tea symbolizes humility.
    The Conversation, The Conversation, 7 Jan. 2026
  • Candidates from both parties use breathless prose, artificial deadlines and sometimes a dose of humility to add a sense of urgency to their appeals.
    John C. Moritz, Austin American Statesman, 4 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Remember his embarrassment after winning the 2016 presidential election but losing the national popular vote?
    Chris Brennan, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
  • For years now, Fuentes has been both an embarrassment to the right and an indicator of what’s brewing in the id of conservatism.
    Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 31 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • May the Spirit of God, who is truth and strength, and instils meekness and courage, sustain you.
    Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 9 Oct. 2025
  • Most Canadians want uncomplicated lives, a desire for calm that can be misinterpreted by louder people as meekness.
    Chris Jones, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • The Bulls took 18 fewer shots than the Celtics as a direct result of their timidity on the glass, grabbing only six offensive rebounds to Boston’s 20.
    Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026
  • Enmired in the self-satisfactions and unnamed timidities of childhood, Galinda finds in herself neither canniness nor the need to cultivate it.
    Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 30 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • The secret to Buford’s longevity Buford expressed modesty about his service in World War II.
    Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 25 Dec. 2025
  • With the film’s relative modesty, Jarmusch is tuning up—while also retuning the world of cinema, its critics and its viewers, to his own distinctive note and preparing them for his higher harmonics to come.
    Richard Brody, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
Noun
  • Most of those seeds require some bit of cold weather exposure or other mitigating factor to overcome the inhibition and set the stage for a more sensible spring germination.
    Paul Cappiello, Louisville Courier Journal, 21 Nov. 2025
  • The key is to relax, let go of your inhibitions, and just have fun.
    Kimberly Zapata, Parents, 17 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Practicing these three simple gestures (five different weekly contacts, three more genuine monthly exchanges, and one hour of daily sociability), awakens a part of ourselves that is too often put on the back burner or underestimated.
    Vogue, Vogue, 27 Nov. 2025
  • Besides the gleaming blue hull, the 60-footer has an open layout that encourages sociability while promoting privacy in areas like the sunbed at the stern or foredeck lounge.
    Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 7 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Riley, a Northern California native, who has always exuded a Zen-like geniality, was part of a generation of young American composers who had turned away from audience-alienating atonal music, which had been proselytized by their teachers in the science-minded postwar academy.
    William Robin, New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Shyness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shyness. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.

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