bashful

/ˈbæʃfl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈbæʃfl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈbash-fəl/ (ame, mw)

bashful — adjective

  • bashfulpositive
  • more bashfulcomparative
  • most bashfulsuperlative

1. nervous and easily embarrassed when talking to other people, especially people y

1.形容詞B2
釋義

nervous and easily embarrassed when talking to other people, especially people you do not know well.

例句

Trang grew bashful when her classmates sang to her on stage.

grow + bashful when attention turns to someone

At dinner, Christopher became bashful whenever his aunt praised his drawings.

同義詞
  • shy

    the most common general word for feeling nervous with other people

  • timid

    stronger and broader; often suggests lack of courage, not just embarrassment

  • self-conscious

    focuses on worrying about how other people see you

  • reserved

    can describe deliberate emotional restraint rather than embarrassment

反義詞
  • outgoing

    comfortable starting conversations and meeting new people

  • confident

    sure of yourself instead of shrinking from attention

文法句型

be + bashful

become/grow + bashful

bashful + noun

bashful about + noun/gerund

too bashful to + verb

用法筆記

Often used for a gentle, personal kind of shyness, especially when someone receives attention or praise. It commonly appears before nouns such as smile, child, or look, and after linking verbs such as be, become, and sound.

常見錯誤

❌I am bashful to ask the waiter for water.
✅I am too bashful to ask the waiter for water.
💡This pattern normally uses 'too bashful to' rather than a bare to-infinitive.
❌The child was bashful during the thunderstorm.
✅The child was scared during the thunderstorm.
💡'bashful' is about social embarrassment, not fear of danger.