timid

C1 Topic:People & Society

US /ˈtɪmɪd/ See IPA manual

Freq #14683

Meanings

1

adj
Lacking courage or confidence; easily frightened.

He was too timid to ask his boss for a raise.
2

noun
People who are fearful or lacking in confidence.

Whitewater rafting is not for the timid.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · lacking courage or... shy bashful fainthearted

Word family

Forms timidertimidest

Etymology

Etymology tree Latin timeō Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-der. Latin -idus Latin timidusder. Middle French timideder. English timid From Middle French timide, from Latin timidus (“full of fear, fearful, timid”), from timeō (“to fear”).

timide Middle French timidus Latin

View etymology graph ->

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# timid

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** adj, noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈtɪmɪd/
**Frequency rank:** 14683

## Meanings
1. Lacking courage or confidence; easily frightened.
2. People who are fearful or lacking in confidence.

## Examples
- He was too timid to ask his boss for a raise.
- Whitewater rafting is not for the timid.

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: timide
- Root: timidus

## Etymology
Etymology tree Latin timeō Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-der. Latin -idus Latin timidusder. Middle French timideder. English timid From Middle French timide, from Latin timidus (“full of fear, fearful, timid”), from timeō (“to fear”).

## AI Etymology
Timid: The etymological chain runs Latin timeō -> Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- -> Latin -idus -> Latin timidus -> Middle French timide -> English timid. From Middle French timide, from Latin timidus (“full of fear, fearful, timid”), from timeō (“to fear”). Important historical forms include Middle French timide, and Latin timidus. In present-day use, it can mean lacking courage or confidence; easily frightened, or people who are fearful or lacking in confidence.

## Topics
- People & Society

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timid

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