bashful
pronunciation
How to pronounce bashful in British English:
UK [ˈbæʃfl]
How to pronounce bashful in American English:
US [ˈbæʃfl]
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- Adjective:
- self-consciously timid
- disposed to avoid notice
Word Origin
- bashful
- bashful: see abash
- bashful (adj.)
- 1540s, with -ful + baishen "to be filled with consternation or dismay" (mid-14c.), from Old French baissier "bring down, humiliate" (see abash). An unusual case of this suffix attached to a verbal stem in the passive sense. Related: Bashfully; bashfulness (1530s).
Example
- 1. One group of researchers has found that some women chat happily and flirt , even if they have absolutely no interest in the man which is bound to make the bashful and proud even more tongue-tied .
- 2. Visiting downing street earlier in the day , mr obama was at once emollient , self-critical and articulate , in a way that put an initially bashful gordon brown at his ease .
- 3. In addition , the fed should not be bashful in using the bully pulpit of moral persuasion to warn against the impending dangers of asset bubbles .
- 4. From the ramparts of bandra fort , built by the portuguese and now haunted by bashful couples , you can admire mumbai 's new " sealink " , a suspension bridge linking the city 's suburbs with its downtown neighbourhoods , almost 3 miles ( 4.7 kilometres ) away .