Phrase guide

shrinking violet

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈʃɹɪŋkɪŋ ˈvaɪələt/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈʃɹɪŋkɪŋ ˈvaɪlət/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /-lɪt/
  • General-American: /ˈʃɹɪŋkɪŋ ˈvaɪələt/
  • General-American: /ˈʃɹɪŋkɪŋ ˈvaɪlət/
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A very shy or timid person, who avoids contact with others if possible.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

Examples

  • June, no shrinking violet she, crossed the room and introduced herself to the newcomers.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

someone who shrinks from familiarity with others

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: shy person

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: coward

Narrower terms: wallflower

History

Etymology

Possibly from the inconspicuous nature of the violet (genus Viola) flower and plant. The term appears to have been first used in the literal sense in the early 19th century.

Across languages

Translations

5 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: мимоза (mimoza) — very shy person
  • Greek: χαμηλοβλεπούσα (chamilovlepoúsa) — very shy person
  • Macedonian: срамежливец (sramežlivec) — very shy person
  • Polish: trusia — very shy person
  • Russian: недотро́га (nedotróga) — very shy person