wallflower

noun

wall·​flow·​er ˈwȯl-ˌflau̇(-ə)r How to pronounce wallflower (audio)
Synonyms of wallflower
1
: any of several Old World perennial herbs (genus Erysimum synonym Cheiranthus) of the mustard family
especially : a hardy erect herb (E. cheiri synonym C. cheiri) widely cultivated for its showy fragrant flowers
2
a
: a person who from shyness or unpopularity remains on the sidelines of a social activity (such as a dance)
b
: a shy or reserved person

Illustration of wallflower

Illustration of wallflower
  • wallflower 1a

Synonyms of wallflower

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of wallflower in a Sentence

there were too many wallflowers at the party, so things never really got lively
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
A lot of these crypto people, who maybe didn’t have buzzing social lives—wallflowers who didn’t know how to communicate—became billionaires. — Joy Press, Vanity Fair, 28 Oct. 2026 Carolina Herrera’s audacious line of fragrances isn’t for a wallflower. — Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2026 Her favorite things to shop from the brand are its hand soaps, candles, hand sanitizers, wallflowers fragrance refills, and shower steamers. — Katie Decker-Jacoby, StyleCaster, 5 Aug. 2026 Of course, as college football fans know, the man has never exactly been what anyone would call a wallflower. — Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 15 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for wallflower

Word History

First Known Use

1577, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of wallflower was in 1577

Rhymes for wallflower

See All Rhymes for wallflower

Browse Nearby Words

wall fern
wallflower
wall fruit
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Wallflower.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wallflower. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

wallflower

noun
wall·​flow·​er ˈwȯl-ˌflau̇(-ə)r How to pronounce wallflower (audio)
: a person who from shyness or unpopularity remains alone (as at a dance)

More from Merriam-Webster on wallflower

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about wallflower

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of Pyrrhic

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All