Definition of "bashful" [bash•ful]

• Shy, self-conscious, and awkward in the presence of others. See Synonyms at shy1. (adjective)
• Characterized by, showing, or resulting from shyness, self-consciousness, or awkwardness. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "He was roundly congratulated on having salvaged the ship, for in the days before he sailed, the Paragon became known as a bashful but courteous ship, given to few words but occasionally smiling so as to melt anyone's heart."
• "To her father's disgust she bought them both, and presented them to two wide-eyed children who in bashful fascination were dogging their footsteps."
• "The others called the bashful, baby-faced Talib "The Doctor.""
• "The others called the bashful, baby-faced Talib "The Doctor.""
• ""Now over here, folks, we have a formation called the bashful elephant.""
• "But wisdom makes men bashful, which is the reason that those wise men have so little to do, unless it be with poverty, hunger, and chimney corners; that they live such neglected, unknown, and hated lives: whereas fools abound in money, have the chief commands in the commonwealth, and in a word, flourish every way."