as in hesitation
lack of willingness to assert oneself and take risks
none of the scouts showed the least timidity about rappeling down the cliff
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Recent Examples of timidity
But what is different about the downfall of Starmer, which is now under way, has been the timidity of his premiership, its chronic self-doubt, as if its voice were permanently stuck in its throat.
—
Sam Knight, New Yorker, 14 May 2026
But our delay and our timidity continue to cause unimaginable human suffering.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 13 Apr. 2026
But German timidity before Israel’s moral blackmail only partly explains Habermas’s callous attitude toward the country’s Palestinian victims.
—Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Even in the face of Hollywood’s timidity, some American independent animators have managed to push their offbeat visions through as features made with limited resources.
—Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026
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.
—Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 25 Nov. 2025
The timidity of the tactics was utterly shameful.
—Steve Madeley, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025
Indulgence can tip over into self-indulgence all too easily; holding back can result in a timidity that makes a song sound at odds with its subject.
—Maura Johnston, Rolling Stone, 13 Aug. 2025
Sam Knight, New Yorker, 14 May 2026
But our delay and our timidity continue to cause unimaginable human suffering.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 13 Apr. 2026
But German timidity before Israel’s moral blackmail only partly explains Habermas’s callous attitude toward the country’s Palestinian victims.
—Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Even in the face of Hollywood’s timidity, some American independent animators have managed to push their offbeat visions through as features made with limited resources.
—Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026
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.
—Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 25 Nov. 2025
The timidity of the tactics was utterly shameful.
—Steve Madeley, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025
Indulgence can tip over into self-indulgence all too easily; holding back can result in a timidity that makes a song sound at odds with its subject.
—Maura Johnston, Rolling Stone, 13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for timidity
Noun
-
His party was in denial, and the hesitation cost them the general election.—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
3 June 2026
-
Aside from his hesitations over the SNL cue cards, Holland has not shied away from live performance itself.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
2 June 2026
Noun
-
All of my rage and fear and wonder.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 June 2026
-
The computing power needs, the competition from Anthropic, the potential for a more business-to-business stream of revenue, the fear that all of the big institutions that own it will want to cash out, makes this one plain fraught.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
31 May 2026
Noun
-
Analysts have previously expressed concern that US stocks of the interceptors have been depleted by the Iran conflict as well as by last year’s 12-day war between Israel and Iran, and noted that manufacturing more takes time.—
Lauren Kent,
CNN Money,
4 June 2026
-
Those concerns that chopped 30% off cyber stocks earlier this year could not have been more wrong, as Jim Cramer had said all along.—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
Wembanyama finished with 26 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks in the loss but downplayed any worries about the team’s struggles after the game.—
Jacob Lev,
CNN Money,
4 June 2026
-
Stocks also came under pressure on Middle East worries.—
Lee Ying Shan,Justina Lee,
CNBC,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
Schizophrenia, bipolar, autism, anxiety, depression – all of these topics are almost global bestsellers.—
Jon LaPook,
CBS News,
31 May 2026
-
While menopause is biological, many of the symptoms associated with it, including sleep disruption, anxiety, mood instability, brain fog, and fatigue, can also be amplified by chronic stress and nervous system overload.—
Meggen Harris,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
Noun
-
The Denver Post editorial is a master class in timidness and in saying nothing of import.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
20 May 2026
-
Wilder was not stuck in the state of inertia that plagued him against Parker or the timidness against Zhang.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
5 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Timidity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/timidity. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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