| Main Entry: | shy |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | quiet and self-conscious |
Synonyms: |
afraid, apprehensive, averse, backward, bashful, cautious, chary, circumspect, conscious, coy, demure, diffident, disinclined, distrustful, fearful, hesitant, humble, indisposed, introvert, introverted, loath, loner, modest, nervous, recessive, reluctant, reserved, reticent, retiring, self-effacing, shamefaced, sheepish, shrinking, skittish, suspicious, timid, unassertive, unassured, uneager, uneffusive, unresponsive, unsocial, unwilling, wary |
Antonyms: |
confident, extroverted, unashamed, unreserved, unshy |
| Main Entry: | shy |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | lacking, failing |
Synonyms: |
deficient, inadequate, insufficient, scant, scanty, scarce, short, unsufficient, wanting |
Antonyms: |
adequate, enough, sufficient |
| Main Entry: | ashamed |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | regretting, remorseful |
Synonyms: |
abashed, apologetic, bashful, blushing, chagrined, compunctious, conscience-stricken, contrite, crestfallen, debased, demeaned, discomfited, disconcerted, distraught, distressed, embarrassed, flustered, guilty, hesitant, humble, humbled, humiliated, meek, mortified, muddled, penitent, regretful, reluctant, repentant, shamed, shamefaced, sheepish, shy, sorry, stammering, stuttering, submissive |
Antonyms: |
bold, defiant, immodest, not sorry, shameless, unregretful, unremorseful, unself-conscious |
| Main Entry: | backward |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | bashful |
Synonyms: |
afraid, averse, demure, diffident, disinclined, hesitant, hesitating, humble, indisposed, late, loath, modest, reluctant, reserved, retiring, shy, sluggish, tardy, timid, uneager, unwilling, wavering |
Antonyms: |
aggressive, forward, precocious, unshy |
| Main Entry: | careful |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | cautious; painstaking |
Synonyms: |
accurate, alert, apprehensive, assiduous, attentive, chary, choosy, circumspect, concerned, conscientious, conservative, cool, deliberate, discreet, exacting, fastidious, finicky, fussy, going to great lengths, guarded, heedful, judicious, leery, meticulous, mindful, observant, particular, playing safe, precise, prim, protective, provident, prudent, punctilious, regardful, religious, rigorous, scrupulous, selfdisciplined, shy, sober, solicitous, solid, thorough, thoughtful, vigilant, wary |
Antonyms: |
careless, inattentive, incautious, thoughtless, uncareful, unconcerned, unscrupulous |
| Main Entry: | cowardly |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | fearful |
Synonyms: |
afraid, anxious, apprehensive, backward, base, caitiff, chicken-hearted, cowering, cowhearted, craven, dastardly, diffident, dismayed, fainthearted, frightened, gutless, having the willies, jittery, lacking courage, lily-livered, nervous, no guts, panicky, paper tiger, pigeonhearted, pusillanimous, recreant, retiring, running scared, scared, shrinking, shy, soft*, spineless, timid, timorous, weak, weak-kneed, worthless, yellow*, yellow-bellied |
Antonyms: |
bold, brave, courageous, daring, dauntless, unafraid, undaunted, unfearful |
| Main Entry: | coy |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | very modest |
Synonyms: |
backward, bashful, blushing, coquettish, demure, diffident, evasive, flirtatious, humble, kittenish, overmodest, prudish, rabbity, reserved, retiring, self-effacing, shrinking, shy, skittish, timid, unassertive |
Antonyms: |
aggressive, forward, immodest, impudent, unshy |
| Main Entry: | deficient |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | imperfect, inadequate |
Synonyms: |
amiss, bad, damaged, defective, exiguous, faulty, flawed, found wanting, impaired, incomplete, inferior, infrequent, injured, insufficient, lacking, marred, meager, not cut out for, not enough, not make it, not up to scratch, outta gas, rare, scant, scanty*, scarce, second fiddle, second string, short, shy, sketchy, skimpy, third string, unassembled, unequal, unfinished, unsatisfactory, wanting, weak |
| Notes: | defective means having a defect or fault, while deficient means inadequate or lacking in amount or degree |
Antonyms: |
adequate, ample, enough, excessive, faultless, flawless, perfect, satisfactory, sufficient, superfluous |
| Main Entry: | demure |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | reserved, affected |
Synonyms: |
backward, bashful, blushing, close, coy, decorous, diffident, earnest, humble, modest, nice, prim, prissy, proper, prudish, reticent, retiring, sedate, serious, shy, silent, skittish, sober, solemn, staid, strait-laced, timid, unassertive, unassuming, unassured |
Antonyms: |
aggressive, bold, extroverted, outgoing, shameless, strong |
| Main Entry: | diffident |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | hesitant; unconfident |
Synonyms: |
backward, bashful, blenching, chary, constrained, coy, demure, distrustful, doubtful, dubious, flinching, humble, insecure, meek, modest, mousy, rabbity, reluctant, reserved, retiring, self-conscious, self-effacing, sheepish, shrinking, shy, suspicious, timid, timorous, unassertive, unassuming, unassured, unobtrusive, unpoised, unsure, withdrawn |
Antonyms: |
bold, confident |