Retiring
Retiring adjective - Not comfortable around people.
Usage example: one retiring young girl was sitting alone quietly in a corner during the party
Shy is a synonym for retiring in restraint topic. In some cases you can use "Shy" instead an adjective "Retiring", when it comes to topics like cowardly, bashful, timid. popular alternative
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
Retiring is a synonym for shy in bashful topic. You can use "Retiring" instead an adjective "Shy", if it concerns topics such as behaviour, restraint, cowardly, timid. popular alternative
Mutual synonyms
Both words in one sentence
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It may be a Personality Power, with the user shy and retiring, or sneaky and subversive.
Source: Invisibility aka: Invisible -
By personality, Finger was shy and retiring, and not very well equipped to deal with DC's management.
Source: Creator / Bill Finger - She does have Ghostly Goals... finding a tanuki doll she forgot to pick up when she bought the notebook that her spirit is anchored to you, and is so shy and retiring she bursts into tears when Nabiki demands to know what she wants (quoth Kasumi; "Nabiki, please stop scaring the ghost").
Source: Reluctant Monster
Cite this Source
Shy and Retiring. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/retiring/shy
Retiring & Shy. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/retiring/shy>.
Shy or Retiring. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/retiring/shy.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "retiring" and "shy" have occurred on timeline