Timid by nature or revealing timidity:
— Timorous little mouse.
— In a timorous tone.

synonyms: fearful, trepid.

Roget 881: modest, diffident; humble etc. 879; timid, timorous, bashful; shy, nervous, skittish, coy, sheepish, shamefaced, blushing, overmodest.    unpretending^†, unpretentious; unobtrusive, unassuming, unostentatious, unboastful^†, unaspiring; poor in spirit.    out of countenance etc. (humbled) 879.    reserved, constrained, demure.    ... show more

Roget 860: fearing etc. v.; frightened etc. v.; in fear, in a fright etc. n.; haunted with the fear of etc. n.; afeard^†.    afraid, fearful; timid, timorous; nervous, diffident, coy, faint-hearted, tremulous, shaky, afraid of one's shadow, apprehensive, restless, fidgety; more frightened than hurt.    aghast; awe-stricken, horror-stricken, terror-stricken, panic-stricken, awestruck, awe-stricken, horror-struck; frightened to death, white as a sheet; pale, pale as a ghost, pale as death, pale as ashes; breathless, in hysterics.    inspiring fear etc. v.; alarming; formidable, redoubtable; perilous etc. (danger) 665; portentous; fearful; dread, dreadful; fell; dire, direful; shocking; terrible, terrific; tremendous; horrid, horrible, horrific; ghastly; awful, awe-inspiring; revolting etc. (painful) 830; Gorgonian.    ... show more

Roget 862: coward, cowardly; fearful, shy; timid, timorous; skittish; poor-spirited, spiritless, soft, effeminate.    weak-minded; infirm of purpose etc. 605; weak-hearted, fainthearted, chickenhearted, henhearted^†, lilyhearted, pigeon-hearted; white-livered^†, lily-livered, milk-livered^†; milksop, smock-faced; unable to say 'boo' to a goose.    dastard, dastardly; base, craven, sneaking, dunghill, recreant; unwarlike, unsoldier-like.    in face a lion but in heart a deer.   " unmanned; frightened etc. 860.    ... show more