bashful C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities US /ˈbæʃfəl/ UK /ˈbæʃfʊl/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adj shy and easily embarrassed The bashful boy stared at his shoes whenever a stranger spoke to him. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · shy and easily embarrassed shytimiddiffidentcoymodestreticentretiring ↔ Opposites boldbrazenconfidentforwardbrash Word family Forms bashfullybashfulness Derived forms bashfullybashfulness Related forms abash Etymology AI details From bash ('to abash', aphetic form of abash) plus -ful; abash is from Old French esbahir ('to astonish, dismay'). esbahir Old French View etymology graph -> Topics Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives External links Google Images Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary # bashful **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /ˈbæʃfəl/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈbæʃfʊl/ ## Meanings 1. shy and easily embarrassed ## Examples - The bashful boy stared at his shoes whenever a stranger spoke to him. ## Synonyms - shy - timid - diffident - coy - modest - reticent - retiring ## Antonyms - bold - brazen - confident - forward - brash ## Derived Forms - bashfully - bashfulness ## Related Forms - abash ## Roots and Affixes - Root: esbahir ## Etymology From bash ('to abash', aphetic form of abash) plus -ful; abash is from Old French esbahir ('to astonish, dismay'). ## AI Etymology Bashful is an adjective meaning "shy and easily embarrassed". Historically, it is from bash ('to abash', aphetic form of abash) plus -ful; abash is from Old French esbahir ('to astonish, dismay'). The visible construction is part of the etymology: bashful is not just an unanalyzed simple word. The historical chain is anchored in Old French esbahir. Close English family members include bashfully, bashfulness, and abash. ## Topics - Describing Qualities - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown