wallflower

[ wawl-flou-er ]
See synonyms for wallflower on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a person who, because of shyness, unpopularity, or lack of a partner, remains at the side at a party or dance.

  2. any person, organization, etc., that remains on or has been forced to the sidelines of any activity: The firm was a wallflower in this year's bidding for government contracts.

  1. a European plant, Cheiranthus cheiri, of the mustard family, that, when growing wild on walls, cliffs, etc., has sweet-scented, usually yellow or orange flowers, but when cultivated has flowers varying in color from pale yellow to brown-red or purple.

  2. any of several related plants of the genera Cheiranthus and Erysimum.

Origin of wallflower

1
First recorded in 1570–80; wall + flower

Words Nearby wallflower

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

How to use wallflower in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for wallflower

wallflower

/ (ˈwɔːlˌflaʊə) /


noun
  1. Also called: gillyflower a plant, Cheiranthus cheiri, of S Europe, grown for its clusters of yellow, orange, brown, red, or purple fragrant flowers and naturalized on old walls, cliffs, etc: family Brassicaceae (crucifers)

  2. any of numerous other crucifers of the genera Cheiranthus and Erysimum, having orange or yellow flowers

  1. informal a person who stays on the fringes of a dance or party on account of lacking a partner or being shy

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