How to Use timid in a Sentence

timid

adjective
  • He gave her a timid smile.
  • She's very timid and shy when meeting strangers.
  • This time around, Frey has been less timid.
    — Ruby Cramer, New Yorker, 23 Jan. 2026
  • Someone please give this timid boy a home.
    — Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
  • Don’t be cranky, but don’t be timid, either.
    — Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 12 Aug. 2025
  • This needn’t been a timid admission;—she’d be flattered to hear it.
    — Literary Hub, 16 Mar. 2026
  • Once back in the lab, these ants with a fearsome name proved quite timid.
    — Michael Greshko, National Geographic, 16 May 2017
  • Cheered on by timid bankers who wouldn't risk a lemon in their sparse baskets.
    — Dan Primack, Axios, 11 Mar. 2025
  • At the start of the video, Phil looks nervous and timid.
    — Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Aug. 2025
  • But why be so timid about doubling a few taxes here and there?
    — Scott Burns, Dallas News, 1 Aug. 2020
  • Who wants to follow a timid leader, right?
    — Aditya Simha, The Conversation, 7 May 2026
  • But, yes, there still is a timid approach from the perimeter.
    — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 8 Nov. 2024
  • To pass would be timid; partner could have as many as 18 points.
    — Frank Stewart, The Mercury News, 26 June 2019
  • The timid girl, the ruffian guy.
    — Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 13 Sep. 2025
  • The time is now to take brazen steps to address climate change, not timid ones.
    — Whizy Kim, refinery29.com, 22 Apr. 2021
  • My own thoughts have been along the line of weak, unassertive, super humble and timid.
    — Glenna Christensen, idahostatesman, 14 June 2018
  • One takeaway is not to be timid in marking what the new law will do -- over and over again.
    — Rick Klein, Averi Harper, ABC News, 11 Mar. 2021
  • Williams became tentative on the glass and timid with the ball in his hands.
    — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 16 Jan. 2025
  • In a way, the menu at the Hearth & Hound may be a little timid.
    — Jonathan Gold, latimes.com, 26 Jan. 2018
  • Then there are the politicians, too timid to protect the country.
    — Peter Beinart, The Atlantic, 2 Oct. 2017
  • Despite being shoved in the deep end, the rookies weren’t timid.
    — Eric Branch, San Francisco Chronicle, 26 Apr. 2021
  • Vaakanainen looked timid with the puck, lacking urgency to his game.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 26 Sep. 2021
  • Kyōsei is not a strategy for the timid.
    — Big Think, 7 May 2026
  • Don’t be timid; get the crust good and wet before proceeding.
    — Devra Ferst, Bon Appetit Magazine, 24 June 2026
  • In games this season, Oladipo hasn't been timid about going hard to the rim.
    — Nate Chute, Indianapolis Star, 14 Feb. 2018
  • Some have shared their tips on how the video's creator could approach the timid canine.
    — David Faris, Newsweek, 3 Feb. 2025
  • Bronson, the 11-month-old middle child, can be a tad more timid.
    — Doug Gimesy, National Geographic, 21 Aug. 2020
  • Big young men take heavy, skipping strides across the floor, scattering the timid.
    — Aimee Levitt, Chicago Reader, 23 May 2018
  • The man in front of her seemed timid, barely saying a word and keeping his head down.
    — Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 2 Aug. 2025
  • Covered in red satin and ostrich feathers, these look-at-me shoes are not for the timid.
    — Rebecca Ramsey, The Cut, 2 Nov. 2017

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'timid.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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