timidity
English
Etymology
From timid + -ity, from Middle French timidité, from Latin timiditātem.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /tɪˈmɪdɪti/
Audio (US): (file) - Rhymes: -ɪdɪti
Noun
timidity (countable and uncountable, plural timidities)
- The state of being timid; shyness.
- 1849, Minutes of the committee of council on education, page 82:
- […] instead of the joyous voices of his playfellows he hears the rough commands of an unindulgent master or a scolding mistress; — he is continually reproached for his awkwardness and timidity, and reminded of his pauper origin.
- 2025 December 18, The [Christian Science] Monitor's Editorial Board, “Germany’s defense of European values”, in The Christian Science Monitor[1]:
- This willingness to act underscores the German leader’s view that there is much at stake – and that Western Europe’s largest country (both by population and economic power) needs to step up to the demands. Timidity is not an option.
Synonyms
Translations
state of being timid — see timidness