timorous — showing or suffering from nervousness, fear, or a lack of confidence
Part of speech: ADJECTIVE
Definition: showing or suffering from nervousness, fear, or a lack of confidence
Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈtɪmərəs/
Example Sentences
- The timorous cat hid under the bed when the doorbell rang.
- Despite being 6 feet tall, Mark was surprisingly timorous when it came to asking for extra ketchup.
- Her timorous whisper was barely audible in the silent library.
timorous
ADJECTIVE[/ˈtɪmərəs/]
showing or suffering from nervousness, fear, or a lack of confidence
The timorous kitten peeks out from behind the sofa, too scared to greet guests.
TIMOR(fear) + OUS(full of) — becoming full of(OUS) heavy TIMOR(fear), the knight proved to be truly timorous.
Stepping into the glamorous party, the young man suddenly became timorous and hid in the corner.
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
From Latin 'timor' meaning fear or dread, plus the suffix '-ous.' Ancient Romans used 'timor' to describe the fear felt by soldiers in battle, which evolved into our modern word for being fearful or shy.
Breakdown
timor- (fear, from Latin) + -ous (adjective suffix meaning 'full of' or 'characterized by')
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“The timorous cat hid under the bed when the doorbell rang.”
“Despite being 6 feet tall, Mark was surprisingly timorous when it came to asking for extra ketchup.”
“Her timorous whisper was barely audible in the silent library.”
“The timorous student raised his hand halfway, then quickly put it down when the teacher looked his way.”
📚Related Words
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