Bashful
Bashful adjective - Not comfortable around people.
Usage example: a bashful child who hid in his room whenever there were visitors in the house
Shy is a synonym for bashful in behaviour topic. In some cases you can use "Shy" instead the word "Bashful" as an adjective or a noun, when it comes to topics like restraint, cowardly, timid, retiring. popular alternative
Nearby Word: bashfully
Shy
Shy adjective - Not comfortable around people.
Usage example: a shy person who finds talking to anyone but a close friend to be an awkward and unpleasant experience
Bashful is a synonym for shy in behaviour topic. You can use "Bashful" instead an adjective "Shy", if it concerns topics such as restraint, cowardly, timid, retiring. popular alternative
Mutual synonyms
Both words in one sentence
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When he is a child, his voice and speech patterns sound nothing like a male, he acts shy and bashful, is very fluffy, and spends much of his time smelling flowers.
Source: Viewer Gender Confusion -
Shrinking Violet: A rare male example: at the start, the painfully shy, bashful and quiet Nat.
Source: Literature / Little Men
Cite this Source
Shy and Bashful. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/bashful/shy
Bashful & Shy. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/bashful/shy>.
Shy or Bashful. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/bashful/shy.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "bashful" and "shy" have occurred on timeline