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isposed to shrink from public notice; indicating extreme or excessive modesty; shy; as, a bashful person, action, expression.

In a bashful manner.

The quality of being bashful.

Not bashful or modest; bold; impudent; shameless. Shak.

Bashfully. [R.]

An awkward, heavy country fellow; a clown; a country lout. "Bashful country bumpkins." W. Irving.

Shrinking from approach or familiarity; reserved; bashful; shy; modest; -- usually applied to women, sometimes with an implication of coquetry. Coy, and difficult to win. Cowper. Coy and furtive graces. W. Irving. Nor the coy maid, half willings to be pressed, Shall kiss the cup, to pass it to the rest. Goldsmith.…

strust of one's self or one's own powers; lack of self-reliance; modesty; modest reserve; bashfulness. It is good to speak on such questions with diffidence. Macaulay. An Englishman's habitual diffidence and awkwardness of adress. W. Irving.

nfidence in one's self; distrustful of one's own powers; not self-reliant; timid; modest; bashful; characterized by modest reserve. The diffident maidens, Folding their hands in prayer. Longfellow.

Cast downward; directed to the ground, from bashfulness, modesty, dejection, or guilt. 'T is love, said she; and then my downcast eyes, And guilty dumbness, witnessed my surprise. Dryden. - Down"cast`ly, adv. -- Down"cast`ness, n.

Out of season; untimely. [Obs.] Burton. Intempestive bashfulness gets nothing. Hales.

Modest to excess; bashful. -- O"ver*mod"est*ly, adv.

To be renewed, or as at first. [Obs.] Night's bashful empress, though she often wane, As oft repeats her darkness, primes again. Quarles .

Easily confused or put out of countenance; diffident; bashful; modest. Your shamefaced virtue shunned the people's prise. Dryden.

A weak, bashful, silly fellow. Ainsworth.

Over-bashful; sheepish.

Like a sheep; bashful; over-modest; meanly or foolishly diffident; timorous to excess. Wanting change of company, he will, when he comes abroad, be a sheepish or conceited creature. Locke. -- Sheep"ish*ly, adv. -- Sheep"ish*ness, n.

Lateral; oblique; not being directly in front; as, a sidelong glance. The bashful virgin's sidelong looks of love. Goldsmith.

A paltry fellow; a sneak. [Obs.] "Such a bashful sneaksby." Barrow.