Standard Lemma guide

timid

adj · 5 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.

  • /ˈtɪmɪd/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: T IH1 M IH0 D Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Lacking in courage or confidence.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • John's a very timid person. I doubt he'll be brave enough to face his brother.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: fearful, timorous, cautious, shy, bashful, alert, attentive, careful, cautelous, canny, chary, circumspect, conservative, deliberate, discreet, guarded, heedful, heedy, hesitant, meticulous, mindful, prudent, reckful, safe, sensible, slow, tentative, timid, well-advised, wary, abashed, backward, bookish, coy, distant, embarrassed, mousy, unassertive, passive, quiet, reclusive, retiring, shamefast, sheep-faced, sheepish, submissive, uncommunicative

Antonyms: courageous, daredevil, dauntless, bellicose, reckless, rash, aggressive, confident

2

adjective

Meaning 2

showing fear and lack of confidence

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: bold

3

adjective

Meaning 3

lacking self-confidence

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • stood in the doorway diffident and abashed
  • problems that call for bold not timid responses
  • a very unsure young man

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: diffident, shy, unsure

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective satellite

Meaning 4

lacking conviction or boldness or courage

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • faint heart ne'er won fair lady

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: faint, fainthearted, faint-hearted

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

people who are fearful and cautious

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • whitewater rafting is not for the timid

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: cautious

Antonyms: brave

Broader terms: people

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Latin timeō Proto-Indo-European *dheh1-der. Proto-Italic *-iðos Latin -idus Latin timidusder. Middle French timideder. English timid From Middle French timide, from Latin timidus (“full of fear, fearful, timid”), from timeō (“to fear”).

Across languages

Translations

121 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: ndrojtur — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Albanian: drojë — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Arabic: جَبَان (jabān) — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Basque: lotsati — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Belarusian: бая́зны (bajázny) — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Belarusian: баязлі́вы (bajazlívy) — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Belarusian: палахлі́вы (palaxlívy) — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Belarusian: нясме́лы (njasmjély) — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Bulgarian: плах (plah) — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Bulgarian: боязли́в (bojazlív) — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Bulgarian: плашли́в (plašlív) — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Burmese: ရှက် (hrak) — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Catalan: tímid — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Chinese Mandarin: 膽小 /胆小 (dǎnxiǎo) — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Chinese Mandarin: 膽怯 /胆怯 (dǎnqiè) — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Chinese Mandarin: 羞怯 (xiūqiè) — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Chinese Mandarin: 怯懦 (qiènuò) — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Czech: bojácný — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Czech: nesmělý — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Czech: bázlivý — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Czech: plachý — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Czech: nesmělý — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Danish: frygtsom — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Dutch: schuchter — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Dutch: bedeesd — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Dutch: schroomvallig — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Dutch: timide — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Esperanto: timema — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Estonian: pelglik — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Estonian: kartlik — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Estonian: arg — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Finnish: säikky — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Finnish: pelokas — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Finnish: ujo — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Finnish: arka — lacking in courage or confidence
  • French: timide — lacking in courage or confidence
  • French: craintif — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Galician: tímido — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Georgian: გაუბედავი (gaubedavi) — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Georgian: მორცხვი (morcxvi) — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Georgian: მორიდებული (moridebuli) — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Georgian: მშიშარა (mšišara) — lacking in courage or confidence
  • German: furchtsam — lacking in courage or confidence
  • German: zaghaft — lacking in courage or confidence
  • German: zögerlich — lacking in courage or confidence
  • German: schüchtern — lacking in courage or confidence
  • German: befangen — lacking in courage or confidence
  • German: ängstlich — lacking in courage or confidence
  • German: kopfscheu — lacking in courage or confidence
  • German: kleinmütig — lacking in courage or confidence
  • German: verhuscht — lacking in courage or confidence
  • German: verzagt — lacking in courage or confidence
  • German: zag — lacking in courage or confidence
  • German: timide — lacking in courage or confidence
  • German: timid — lacking in courage or confidence
  • German: scheu — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Greek: αθάρρευτος (athárreftos) — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Hungarian: félénk — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Ido: timida — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Ingrian: ujo — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Ingrian: armolliin — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Irish: faiteach — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Italian: timido — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Italian: pavido — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Italian: impaurito — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Japanese: 憶病 (okubyō) — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Khmer: ត្រុកៗ (trok-trok) — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Khmer: អៀន (ien) — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Khmer: ទុយមុយ (tuy muy) — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Khmer: ប្រុនៗ (pron-pron) — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Khmer: មុយៗ (muy-muy) — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Korean: 소심(小心)하다 (sosimhada) — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Ladino: arrezistado — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Ladino: timido — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Latin: meticulosus — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Latin: timidus — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Latin: pavidus — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Latvian: bikls — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Latvian: kautrīgs — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Louisiana Creole: timid — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Macedonian: плашлив (plašliv) — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Manx: faitagh — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Māori: tikumu — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Māori: kōpī — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Māori: kōpīpī — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Māori: kōpipiri — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Māori: whakakumu — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Occitan: timid — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Persian: ترسو — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Plautdietsch: bleed (nds) — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Plautdietsch: feij — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Polish: bojaźliwy — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Polish: płochliwy — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Polish: nieśmiały — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Portuguese: tímido — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Portuguese: acanhado — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Romanian: timid — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Russian: ро́бкий (róbkij) — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Russian: засте́нчивый (zasténčivyj) — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Russian: боязли́вый (bojazlívyj) — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Russian: несме́лый (nesmélyj) — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Russian: пугли́вый (puglívyj) — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Scottish Gaelic: diùid — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Scottish Gaelic: gealtach — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Scottish Gaelic: sgàthach — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Serbo-Croatian: snebivljiv — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Slovak: bojazlivý — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Slovak: nesmelý — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Spanish: tímido — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Swedish: blyg — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Swedish: timid — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Swedish: försagd — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Turkish: ürkek — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Ottoman Turkish: یوركسز (yüreksiz) — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Ukrainian: боязки́й (bojazkýj) — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Ukrainian: несміли́вий (nesmilývyj) — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Ukrainian: несмі́ливий (nesmílyvyj) — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Ukrainian: несмі́лий (nesmílyj) — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Ukrainian: полохли́вий (poloxlývyj) — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Vietnamese: rụt rè — lacking in courage or confidence
  • Yiddish: שרעקעוודיק (shrekevdik) — lacking in courage or confidence