as in shy
easily frightened
a timid rabbit hopped cautiously out of the hedge
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of timid
The road movie, which premiered in Un Certain Regard at CAnnes in 2025, stars Sergio Romano and Pierpaolo Capovilla as two fiftysomething men from Italy’s northern Veneto area who befriend a timid student from Naples, played by Filippo Scotti.
—
Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 6 May 2026
If your little miners are more timid about rides, consider getting a seat near the front of the train.
—Megan Dubois, Southern Living, 4 May 2026
Living in Jack's shadow is timid Simon (Ike Talburt) who is easily bullied, unable to resist Jack's thrall and authority.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 4 May 2026
And also the anticipatory obedience by a lot of these news organizations who are more timid.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 22 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for timid
Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 6 May 2026
If your little miners are more timid about rides, consider getting a seat near the front of the train.
—Megan Dubois, Southern Living, 4 May 2026
Living in Jack's shadow is timid Simon (Ike Talburt) who is easily bullied, unable to resist Jack's thrall and authority.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 4 May 2026
And also the anticipatory obedience by a lot of these news organizations who are more timid.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 22 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for timid
Recent Examples of Synonyms for timid
Adjective
-
Morrow was especially dominant in the second, putting up 10 points and six rebounds to come just shy of a second straight first-half double-double.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
14 May 2026
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Maglares finished one out shy of a complete game for the Rockets in a 4-2 Fox Valley Conference win.—
Paul Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2026
Adjective
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Places like Kwigillingok and Kipnuk are stuck — wanting to rebuild and move on, but fearful of the next storm.—
Ella Nilsen,
CNN Money,
17 May 2026
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Tate said that is probably because people like how things are going and are generally fearful of change.—
Fousia Abdullahi,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
15 May 2026
Adjective
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The lesser among them, the timorous, the doubtful, and the wavering, stood back, watching, waiting for some greater sign, savoring their doubts.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Oct. 2025
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The great danger of that moment was that a political backlash — abetted by a furious media and timorous politicians — would lead to a restoration of the policy of Roe.—
The Editors,
National Review,
24 June 2025
Adjective
-
Part of what makes Nikki so scary is that these intense moments seem to come out of nowhere.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
18 May 2026
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Two friends from Auburn and Berkeley were meeting halfway for a picnic in Sacramento but said even driving there in the strong wind was scary.—
Kayla Moeller,
CBS News,
18 May 2026
Adjective
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But Wednesday night, they were handed a harsh lesson from a true contender — one that smelled blood against a team that cowered and played scared to death from the 20-minute mark on.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
14 May 2026
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If nothing else, the manager is box office entertainment and will not be scared to stamp his authority on what seems like a club in crisis.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
13 May 2026
Adjective
-
Think runway blondes—soft, mousey, antique.—
Fiona Embleton,
Glamour,
10 May 2026
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Handsome Belgian executive Geert (Arieh Worthalter) regales an enthusiastic crowd with a yarn, while his mousy tech head Luc (Jan Hammenecker) demonstrates to what might be the world’s first speech-to-text technology.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
15 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
That said, Richie isn’t afraid to switch things up.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
19 May 2026
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Zvyagintsev is not afraid of silence.—
Stephanie Bunbury,
Deadline,
19 May 2026
Adjective
-
They are lost in the abyss of the deep ocean, unable to recognize themselves or their surroundings, overwhelmed and terrified.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
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But there were no loud gasps or terrified screams during the screening.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Timid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/timid. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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