bashfulness
Reluctance around strangers
Bashfulness is a tendency toward shyness or self-consciousness, especially in social situations.
It suggests timidity mixed with modesty—someone bashful may blush, avoid eye contact, or struggle to speak up: His bashfulness made it hard to approach strangers.
The quality often appears endearing rather than debilitating, distinguishing it from more severe social anxiety.
Self-conscious unease
- self-consciousnessUncomfortable awareness of oneself
- discomfitureUneasy self-conscious distress
- awkwardnessLack of grace or ease
- mortificationIntense shame or embarrassment
chagrin · humiliation · shame · sheepishness · stage fright · social anxiety · unease · discomfort
Lacking courage or confidence
- diffidentLacking self-assurance
- coyAffectedly modest
- sheepishEmbarrassed and timid
- self-consciousUncomfortably aware of oneself
retiring · withdrawn · introverted · reserved · inhibited · hesitant · unassertive · mousy
Unassuming about oneself
- demureModestly reserved in manner
- unassumingNot making claims
- self-effacingDownplaying one's own importance
- meekHumbly unassertive
unpretentious · down-to-earth · lowly · unobtrusive · modest · coyness · decorous · chaste
embarrassment
Self-conscious unease
- self-consciousnessUncomfortable awareness of oneself
- discomfitureUneasy self-conscious distress
- awkwardnessLack of grace or ease
mortification · chagrin · humiliation · shame · sheepishness · stage fright · social anxiety · unease · discomfort · squirming
timid
Lacking courage or confidence
self-conscious · retiring · withdrawn · introverted · reserved · inhibited · hesitant · unassertive · mousy · timorous
humble
Unassuming about oneself
- demureModestly reserved in manner
- unassumingNot making claims
- self-effacingDownplaying one's own importance
meek · unpretentious · down-to-earth · lowly · unobtrusive · modest · coyness · decorous · chaste · understated
flush
Same suit, five cards
warmth · glow · crimson · scarlet · flushed cheeks · rosy · pinkness · heat
- humilityhumbleness, humble, meekness, modesty, modest
- timidityshyness, timidness, timorousness, meekness, sheepishness
- disgracedishonor, disgrace, downfall, stigma, scandal
- introversionintroversion, solitude, alone time, isolation, loner
- egoego, egoism, big ego, egotism, egocentrism
- prudishnessprimness, priggishness, prissiness, puritanism, stuffiness
bashfulnessboldness
Fearless readiness to act
confidence · self-confidence · assertiveness · outgoingness · extroversion
bashfulnessarrogance
Excessive self-importance
pride · immodesty · brazenness · shamelessness · cockiness
bash, bashful, abashed, abash, abashment, abashing, abashes, abashedly