timorous

American  

[tim-er-uhs] / ˈtɪm ər əs /

adjective

1. full of fear; fearful.

   The noise made them timorous.

2. subject to fear; timid.

3. characterized by or indicating fear.

   a timorous whisper.

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timorous British  

/ ˈtɪmərəs /

adjective

1. fearful or timid

2. indicating fear or timidity

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Related Words

See cowardly.

Other Word Forms

• overtimorous adjective
• overtimorously adverb
• overtimorousness noun
• timorously adverb
• timorousness noun
• untimorous adjective
• untimorously adverb
• untimorousness noun

Etymology

Origin of timorous

1400–50; late Middle English < Medieval Latin timōrōsus ( Latin timōr- (stem of timor ) fear + -ōsus -ous )

Example Sentences

Haynesville companies are being more timorous than before because they need to hit their returns on investment, lest they lose hard-won investors.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 13, 2025

Even amoral or timorous lawyers will hesitate to misbehave if it becomes clear that doing so endangers their livelihood.

From Slate • Mar. 17, 2025

An outwardly gentle soul, but with a spine of steel, Fred was never too timorous to lay bare our view on public affairs, including public corruption and injustices.

From Washington Post • Dec. 10, 2021

The clash of egos in the struggle to achieve something bracingly innovative wasn’t for the timorous.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 31, 2019

There’s a table of timorous kids in the back of the cafeteria, and I am one of them.

From "Please Ignore Vera Dietz" by A.S. King