as in shy
easily frightened
a timid rabbit hopped cautiously out of the hedge
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of timid
This needn’t been a timid admission;—she’d be flattered to hear it.
—
Literary Hub, 16 Mar. 2026
Those words seemingly caused Tagovailoa to play timid in 2025.
—Miami Herald, 9 Mar. 2026
His hope is to create a new incentive for these timid business leaders, by wiping out a quarter billion or more from their combined market cap.
—Kristin Stoller, Fortune, 28 Feb. 2026
At the heart of the series is Deano’s friendship with Kit, his timid best mate from the wealthy side of town.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 20 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for timid
Literary Hub, 16 Mar. 2026
Those words seemingly caused Tagovailoa to play timid in 2025.
—Miami Herald, 9 Mar. 2026
His hope is to create a new incentive for these timid business leaders, by wiping out a quarter billion or more from their combined market cap.
—Kristin Stoller, Fortune, 28 Feb. 2026
At the heart of the series is Deano’s friendship with Kit, his timid best mate from the wealthy side of town.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 20 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for timid
Recent Examples of Synonyms for timid
Adjective
-
In virtually staged listing photos, the floorboards are black and polished, the walls are white, and, in lieu of a wall dividing the bedroom from the living and dining, there are custom double-sided bookshelves just shy of the roughly 13-foot ceiling.—
Matthew Sedacca,
Curbed,
26 Mar. 2026
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The pair were on their way to Kennedy’s cousin Rory’s wedding when his plane crashed off of Martha’s Vineyard on the evening of Friday, July 16, 1999, killing all three passengers on board instantly — roughly two months shy of the couple’s third wedding anniversary.—
Dan Heching,
CNN Money,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The measure passed the Senate 89-10 but now faces a challenging path in the House of Representatives, where Republicans, who have the majority, are fearful of being forced into a bad deal.—
Zach Halaschak,
The Washington Examiner,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Singh, however, argued that Jones was not coerced but fearful of the consequences.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The lesser among them, the timorous, the doubtful, and the wavering, stood back, watching, waiting for some greater sign, savoring their doubts.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Oct. 2025
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The great danger of that moment was that a political backlash — abetted by a furious media and timorous politicians — would lead to a restoration of the policy of Roe.—
The Editors,
National Review,
24 June 2025
Adjective
-
The scariest reality may be that most defense innovation comes from desperation.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
23 Mar. 2026
-
Robbing a bank was a bit scary, because the owners of the bank wanted to be in the thing.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
21 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Camarillo, a substitute teacher, is also scared for her students.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Mar. 2026
-
When people are scared to see their primary doctor for routine care like asthma check-ups with inhaler refills, illnesses advance and require more intense healthcare utilization.—
Dr. Lauren Palladino,
Hartford Courant,
22 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Handsome Belgian executive Geert (Arieh Worthalter) regales an enthusiastic crowd with a yarn, while his mousy tech head Luc (Jan Hammenecker) demonstrates to what might be the world’s first speech-to-text technology.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
15 Feb. 2026
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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
Adjective
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The problem, at its core, is that people have been afraid to leave their homes to go to work as a result of the ICE surge.—
Conor Wight,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
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Meanwhile, some staff members, other career officials say, are afraid to voice dissenting views for fear of being fired.—
Avi Asher-Schapiro,
ProPublica,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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But since the arrival of the feds, families had grown too terrified to leave home.—
Daniel Brook,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
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Video footage from the rescue shows the terrified dog shivering as the officer calls her.—
Saman Shafiq,
USA Today,
22 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Timid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/timid. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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