timidity

noun

Definition of timiditynext
as in hesitation
lack of willingness to assert oneself and take risks none of the scouts showed the least timidity about rappeling down the cliff

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of timidity When the Timberwolves put the Nuggets over their knee and spanked them, there were so many to blame — Gordon’s aching body, Peyton Watson balking at playing, Murray’s shooting, Christian Braun’s timidity — that Jokic was almost spared. — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 3 Oct. 2026 Choices, of course, have to be made, and timidity won’t get the job done. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026 The complaint of timidity could be read as a criticism of 79-year-old Congressman Bobby Scott of Virginia, the ranking Democrat on the Education and Workforce Committee and panel’s chair when the party was in the majority. — Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 6 Sep. 2026 My mother was never one for parting phrases, mainly because she was overwhelmed by a form of timidity that verged on self-erasure. — Literary Hub, 26 Aug. 2026 There are those who would write her off, and perhaps her timidity before America’s facilitation of Gaza’s destruction has earned that dismissal. — Ta-Nehisi Coates, Vanity Fair, 15 June 2026 Their boldness reminds us of our timidity. — Joy Harden Bradford, AJC.com, 4 June 2026 But what is different about the downfall of Starmer, which is now under way, has been the timidity of his premiership, its chronic self-doubt, as if its voice were permanently stuck in its throat. — Sam Knight, New Yorker, 14 May 2026 But our delay and our timidity continue to cause unimaginable human suffering. — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 13 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for timidity
  1. hesitation
  2. fear
  3. concern
  4. worry
  5. anxiety
  6. timidness
Noun
  • After some hesitation, the co-anchor finally placed his crown on his head.
    — Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The slowdown in investment was put down to government hesitation over changes to Italy’s domestic tax incentive for TV shows and films.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of hesitation
Noun
  • Fortune recently reported on wealthy parents’ growing fear that their fortunes will sap their children’s drive.
    — Molly A. Wallace, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Coupled with job-displacement fears from AI, opponents now point to the facilities as a physical symbol of who benefits from the boom and who gets stuck with the bill.
    — Luke Fountain, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of fear
Noun
  • Mental health experts have voiced concerns about chatbots’ sycophancy, lack of clinical nuance, and ability to reinforce delusional beliefs.
    — Andrew R. Chow, Time, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The deal drew concern from legislators and delivery drivers, who worried about reduced competition.
    — Jay Ganglani, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of concern
Noun
  • There are so many organizations working to protect the voting process -- including many that cannot legally coordinate with each other -- that some officials involved worry about unintentionally creating chaos outside polling locations.
    — STEVE PEOPLES, Arkansas Online, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Those talks collapsed over price and worries about antitrust pushback, neither of which hold true today.
    — Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of worry
Noun
  • Research has also found that across generational groups, greater user tendency to engage in social comparison, together with greater maladaptive ways of coping with emotions, is associated with more symptoms of anger, anxiety, and depression.
    — Ashwini Nadkarni, Time, 24 Oct. 2026
  • The market for profiting off male body anxiety is nothing new.
    — Gavin Francis, The New York Review of Books, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of anxiety
Noun
  • Never a forward accused of timidness, his offside restraint is not down to any reluctance to make surging runs in behind.
    — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 24 June 2026
  • The Denver Post editorial is a master class in timidness and in saying nothing of import.
    — DP Opinion, Denver Post, 20 May 2026
Definition of timidness

Browse Nearby Words

timid
timidity
timidly
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Timidity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/timidity. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
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 milieu

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

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
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
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All