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 That got everybody over their shyness. Literary Hub, 28 Apr. 2026 In Atlanta, some people living with SAD, as well as social phobia or even simple shyness, are facing their fears in a novel way. Hunter Boyce, AJC.com, 24 Mar. 2026 But shyness and cluelessness kept me from making my rendezvous with the guy that was to aid in that connection. Jody Mamone, Hartford Courant, 16 Mar. 2026 His quiet tone is not shyness or false modesty but circumspection and a sense of boundaries that imply respect and love for real communication. Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2026 Her name is Minnie, but her shyness leans toward the mousy, though no one would ever say that to her, least of all her beloved and extremely outgoing best friend, Callie (Chloe Coleman). Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 13 Feb. 2026 Consider signing up for Toastmasters, a longstanding organization that helps people to break through their shyness and become strong public speakers and communicators. Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2026 Many in Syria’s dissident circles at first found Bashar’s awkwardness and shyness appealing. Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 6 Feb. 2026 But terpsichorean shyness isn’t Josh’s problem. David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 24 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shyness
Noun
  • 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
Noun
  • My strength is the opposite — insight, humility, and the ability to bring the right people and ideas together to solve complex problems.
    Linh Tat, Oc Register, 4 May 2026
  • Instead, technology can be used to uphold the very values of humility and responsibility that the tradition was built.
    FMG Studios, Footwear News, 1 May 2026
Noun
  • Well, the new strike zone and the obvious embarrassment of having a call overturned has changed how umpires call balls and strikes.
    Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 29 Apr. 2026
  • For the annual dinner to occur at the White House itself would be a huge—okay, an even huger—embarrassment and conflict of interest.
    David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 27 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Such meekness is understandable from him.
    Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 26 Feb. 2026
  • Likewise, meekness once meant not becoming weak, but subjugating power to reason – not letting anger take control.
    Timothy J. Pawl, The Conversation, 23 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • This idea of reasonableness is easily caricatured as moral timidity or a bloodless neutrality that drains politics of passion.
    Nikhil Krishnan, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
  • But our delay and our timidity continue to cause unimaginable human suffering.
    Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 13 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Just a reminder that greatness and modesty can go hand in hand.
    Jayson Stark, New York Times, 1 May 2026
  • Democratic politics thrive when leaders and followers act with modesty and humility, when no one sees themselves as infallible or indispensable.
    Austin Sarat, The Conversation, 30 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • This shift from inhibition to activation requires a fundamentally different toolkit — and a different kind of researcher.
    IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 27 Apr. 2026
  • However, the unique culture of our city often overpowers these inhibitions, and the sight of NYPD officers patrolling as modern-day knights on horseback is a reassuring testament to that strength.
    Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 19 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • This ancient beverage, derived from the roots of the Piper methysticum plant, is typically consumed to produce sedative and euphoric effects that might increase sociability and reduce anxiety.
    BestReviews, Mercury News, 11 Feb. 2026
  • Takefumi explored whether dog ownership could affect sociability by exposing mice to the oral microbiomes found in the dog-owning group, then assessed their social behaviors.
    Raven Brunner, PEOPLE, 27 Jan. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Shyness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shyness. Accessed 6 May. 2026.

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