bash·ful

(băsh′fəl)

adj.

1. Shy, self-conscious, and awkward in the presence of others: "I never laughed, being bashful. / Lowering my head, I looked at the wall" (Ezra Pound).

2. Characterized by, showing, or resulting from shyness, self-consciousness, or awkwardness: "He had polite bashful manners and a low grownup voice" (John Dos Passos).

[From obsolete bash, to abash, be abashed (from Middle English basshen, variant of abaishen, abasshen; see abash) + -ful.]

bash′ful·ly adv.

bash′ful·ness n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Adv.

bashfully - in a shy or timid or bashful manner; "he smiled shyly"

shyly, timidly

Translations

بِخَجَلٍ

ostýchavěskromně

forlegentgenert

scheu

timidement

szemérmesen

feimnislega

timidamente

blygt

mahcup mahcupsıkılarakutanarak

害羞地

bashfully

[ˈbæʃfʊlɪ] ADV → tímidamente

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

bashfully

[ˈbæʃfʊli] adv

(= shyly) → timidement

(in an embarrassed way) → avec embarras

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

bashfully

[ˈbæʃfʊlɪ] adv → timidamente

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

bashful

(ˈbӕʃful) adjective

shy. a bashful girl; a bashful smile.

bashfully adverb

ˈbashfulness noun

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

The charge was so outrageous that the steward for all answer only dropped his eyelids bashfully.

View in context

Rosa obeyed, for the Prince was fixing his eyes upon her, but he had scarcely turned them again to his paper when she bashfully retired to the door.

View in context

Outside in the garden, which was full of mellow sunset light streaming through the dark old firs to the west of it, stood Anne and Diana, gazing bashfully at each other over a clump of gorgeous tiger lilies.

View in context

To this, Kit only replied by bashfully bidding his mother 'get out,' and forming sundry strange figures with his legs and arms, accompanied by sympathetic contortions of his face.

View in context

The couples who are bashfully talkative before third persons; the couples who are bashfully silent under similar circumstances.

View in context

'Nay,' he replied, looking down, and blushing bashfully.

View in context

He was all ready when an attendant came to escort him to the presence of the Princess; he followed bashfully and was ushered into a room more dainty and attractive than it was splendid.

View in context

The matron looked, from the little kettle, to the beadle, who was moving towards the door; and as the beadle coughed, preparatory to bidding her good-night, bashfully inquired whether--whether he wouldn't take a cup of tea?

View in context

"Don't you forget, now," said the boy, looking bashfully into the bright eyes that danced with pleasure as the girl blushed and smiled, and answered reproachfully; "Why, of course I shan't!"

View in context

'Surely you did not hear them!' she said bashfully.

View in context

They looked up at me bashfully and made some request of their mother.

View in context

Smith was puckering his eyes at, was the sight of his daughter clinging round Captain Anthony's neck--a sight not in itself improper, but which had the power to move young Powell with a bashfully profound emotion.

View in context