bashful

C2+ Topic:Describing People

US /ˈbæʃfəl/ UK /ˈbæʃfʊl/ See IPA manual

adj

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 shy timid diffident coy modest reticent retiring

Opposites

bold brazen confident forward brash

Word family

Forms bashfullybashfulness

Derived forms bashfullybashfulness

Related forms abash

Etymology

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 People Word Formation & Derivatives

# 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 People
- Word Formation & Derivatives

markdown

bashful

Meanings

Thesaurus

Etymology

Topics

Keyboard Shortcuts

General

Send feedback