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adjective · 2 syllables · /'tɪm.ɪd/

TIMID

What does "TIMID" mean?

Showing a lack of courage or confidence; easily frightened or shy.

Meanings

  1. Lacking in boldness; nervous and hesitant. He gave a timid knock, half-hoping no one would answer.
  2. Cautious or unadventurous in approach or scale. Critics called the reforms timid and overdue. figurative

Did you know?

  • 'Timid' and 'intimidate' are blood relatives: both grow from the Latin 'timere', to fear - so to intimidate someone is, etymologically, to make them timid.

Word origin

From Latin 'timidus', meaning 'fearful', from the verb 'timēre', 'to fear'; the same root gives English 'timorous' and 'intimidate'.

Remember it

TIMID = 'Tiny Inner Mouse, Is Doubtful' - the small, shrinking-back feeling.

A little poem

The door stood open all the afternoon;
he rehearsed the knock a hundred times-
and left as the porch light came on too soon.

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Wordplay

  • Why did the timid student raise half a hand? He wasn't sure he was sure.

What it teaches

Fear shrinks the door, not the room; the bold and the timid stand before the same threshold.

Quick facts

What does TIMID mean?

Showing a lack of courage or confidence; easily frightened or shy.

Is TIMID a valid word?

Yes — TIMID is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.

How many letters is TIMID?

TIMID has 5 letters and 2 syllables.

Where does TIMID come from?

From Latin 'timidus', meaning 'fearful', from the verb 'timēre', 'to fear'; the same root gives English 'timorous' and 'intimidate'.

What can TIMID teach us?

Fear shrinks the door, not the room; the bold and the timid stand before the same threshold.

How players do

Be the first to solve it.

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