From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishtimoroustim‧o‧rous /ˈtɪmərəs/ adjective formal SHYFRIGHTENEDlacking confidence and easily frightened SYN fearful OPP bold She was no helpless, timorous female. —timorously adverb —timorousness noun [uncountable]
Examples from the Corpus
timorous• Even a timorous bicyclist can relish the route.• She was no helpless, timorous female.Origin timorous (1400-1500) Old French timoureux, from Medieval Latin timorosus, from Latin timor “fear”, from timere “to be afraid” 