shrinking violet

See synonyms for shrinking violet on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a shy, modest, or self-effacing person.

Origin of shrinking violet

1
First recorded in 1925–30

Words Nearby shrinking violet

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use shrinking violet in a sentence

  • "That modest, shrinking violet we hear of so often is a shrieking braggart alongside of our grand young crusader," he remarked.

    Spring Street | James H. Richardson
  • There was certainly nothing of the shrinking violet about this girl!

    The Golden Amazons of Venus | John Murray Reynolds
  • Never had he been more eager to play the part of the shrinking violet.

    The Rushton Boys at Rally Hall | Spencer Davenport
  • For a summary of his character one would not have used the phrase (as a contemporary of his remarked) of "a shrinking violet."

    Mr. Crewe's Career, Complete | Winston Churchill

British Dictionary definitions for shrinking violet

shrinking violet

noun
  1. informal a shy person

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012