shrinking violet

noun

1. a shy, modest, or self-effacing person.

shrinking violet

noun

1. informal.
   a shy person

Word History and Origins

Origin of shrinking violet¹

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

They are hardy — any flower that grows next to a freeway ain’t no shrinking violet.

From Los Angeles Times

"I always thought he'd be a future champion, but I've really seen him change from that shrinking violet who first stepped into my office," Warren reflects.

From BBC

The centenarian is remembered by his friends as a man with “impeccable diction” and gentle spirit, but he was no shrinking violet.

From Los Angeles Times

“I put up a fight because I’m not exactly a shrinking violet,” she says.

From Los Angeles Times

Her co-star Oliver Reed - hardly a shrinking violet himself - memorably described acting alongside her as like "being run over by a Bedford truck".

From BBC