Meanings
comparative timider · comparative more timid · superlative timidest · superlative most timid
- Lacking in courage or confidence.
John's a very timid person. I doubt he'll be brave enough to face his brother.
1 more example
When Timothy and Julia hurried up the staircase to the bedroom floor, where a considerable commotion was taking place, Tim took Barry Leach with him.[…]. The captive made no resistance and came not only quietly but in a series of eager little rushes like a timid dog on a choke chain.
1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 19, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLCSynonyms: fearful, timorous, cautious, shy, bashful, alert, attentive, careful · Antonyms: courageous, daredevil, dauntless, bellicose, reckless, rash, aggressive, confident
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveLacking in courage or confidence.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectiveshowing fear and lack of confidence
adjectivelacking conviction or boldness or courage
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latintimeō
- Proto-Indo-European*dʰeh₁-
- Latintimidus
- Middle Frenchtimide
- Englishtimid
From Middle French timide, from Latin timidus (“full of fear, fearful, timid”), from timeō (“to fear”).
More words from Middle French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic جَبَان
- جَبَان (jabān)lacking in courage or confidence
Basque lotsati
- lotsatilacking in courage or confidence
Bulgarian плах, боязли́в
- плах (plah)lacking in courage or confidence
- боязли́в (bojazlív)lacking in courage or confidence
- плашли́в (plašlív)lacking in courage or confidence
Catalan tímid
- tímidlacking in courage or confidence
Chinese Mandarin 膽小 /胆小, 膽怯 /胆怯
- 膽小 /胆小 (dǎnxiǎo)lacking in courage or confidence
- 膽怯 /胆怯 (dǎnqiè)lacking in courage or confidence
- 羞怯 (xiūqiè)lacking in courage or confidence
- 怯懦 (qiènuò)lacking in courage or confidence
Czech bojácný, nesmělý
- bojácnýlacking in courage or confidence
- nesmělýlacking in courage or confidence
- bázlivýlacking in courage or confidence
- plachýlacking in courage or confidence
- nesmělýlacking in courage or confidence
Danish frygtsom
- frygtsomlacking in courage or confidence
Dutch schuchter, bedeesd
- schuchterlacking in courage or confidence
- bedeesdlacking in courage or confidence
- schroomvalliglacking in courage or confidence
- timidelacking in courage or confidence
Esperanto timema
- timemalacking in courage or confidence
Estonian pelglik, kartlik
- pelgliklacking in courage or confidence
- kartliklacking in courage or confidence
- arglacking in courage or confidence
Finnish säikky, pelokas
- säikkylacking in courage or confidence
- pelokaslacking in courage or confidence
- ujolacking in courage or confidence
- arkalacking in courage or confidence
French timide, craintif
- timidelacking in courage or confidence
- craintiflacking in courage or confidence
German furchtsam, zaghaft
- furchtsamlacking in courage or confidence
- zaghaftlacking in courage or confidence
- zögerlichlacking in courage or confidence
- schüchternlacking in courage or confidence
- befangenlacking in courage or confidence
- ängstlichlacking in courage or confidence
- kopfscheulacking in courage or confidence
- kleinmütiglacking in courage or confidence
- verhuschtlacking in courage or confidence
- verzagtlacking in courage or confidence
- zaglacking in courage or confidence
- timidelacking in courage or confidence
Greek αθάρρευτος
- αθάρρευτος (athárreftos)lacking in courage or confidence
Hungarian félénk
- félénklacking in courage or confidence
Irish faiteach
- faiteachlacking in courage or confidence
Italian timido, pavido
- timidolacking in courage or confidence
- pavidolacking in courage or confidence
- impauritolacking in courage or confidence
Japanese 憶病
- 憶病 (okubyō)lacking in courage or confidence
Korean 소심(小心)하다
- 소심(小心)하다 (sosimhada)lacking in courage or confidence
Latin meticulosus, timidus
- meticulosuslacking in courage or confidence
- timiduslacking in courage or confidence
- paviduslacking in courage or confidence
Latvian bikls, kautrīgs
- biklslacking in courage or confidence
- kautrīgslacking in courage or confidence
Māori tikumu, kōpī
- tikumulacking in courage or confidence
- kōpīlacking in courage or confidence
- kōpīpīlacking in courage or confidence
- kōpipirilacking in courage or confidence
- whakakumulacking in courage or confidence
Persian ترسو
- ترسوlacking in courage or confidence
Polish bojaźliwy, płochliwy
- bojaźliwylacking in courage or confidence
- płochliwylacking in courage or confidence
- nieśmiałylacking in courage or confidence
Portuguese tímido, acanhado
- tímidolacking in courage or confidence
- acanhadolacking in courage or confidence
Romanian timid
- timidlacking in courage or confidence
Russian ро́бкий, засте́нчивый
- ро́бкий (róbkij)lacking in courage or confidence
- засте́нчивый (zasténčivyj)lacking in courage or confidence
- боязли́вый (bojazlívyj)lacking in courage or confidence
- несме́лый (nesmélyj)lacking in courage or confidence
- пугли́вый (puglívyj)lacking in courage or confidence
Scottish Gaelic diùid, gealtach
- diùidlacking in courage or confidence
- gealtachlacking in courage or confidence
- sgàthachlacking in courage or confidence
Slovak bojazlivý, nesmelý
- bojazlivýlacking in courage or confidence
- nesmelýlacking in courage or confidence
Spanish tímido
- tímidolacking in courage or confidence
Swedish blyg, timid
- blyglacking in courage or confidence
- timidlacking in courage or confidence
- försagdlacking in courage or confidence
Turkish ürkek
- ürkeklacking in courage or confidence
Ukrainian боязки́й, несміли́вий
- боязки́й (bojazkýj)lacking in courage or confidence
- несміли́вий (nesmilývyj)lacking in courage or confidence
- несмі́ливий (nesmílyvyj)lacking in courage or confidence
- несмі́лий (nesmílyj)lacking in courage or confidence
- полохли́вий (poloxlývyj)lacking in courage or confidence
Vietnamese rụt rè
- rụt rèlacking in courage or confidence
Yiddish שרעקעוודיק
- שרעקעוודיק (shrekevdik)lacking in courage or confidence
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
timid. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/timid
“timid.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/timid. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “timid,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/timid.
Source: timid on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.