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schüchtern. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
schüchtern, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
schüchtern in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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German
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle Low German schüchter, whence also Dutch schuchter. Cognate with scheu. The final -n is an original case ending, which was sometimes added to the stem in Low German (compare German albern).
Pronunciation
Adjective
schüchtern (strong nominative masculine singular schüchterner, comparative schüchterner, superlative am schüchternsten)
- shy, timid, bashful
- Sei nicht schüchtern! ― Don't be shy!
Usage notes
The words scheu and schüchtern both translate into English as “shy”. Although they are sometimes synonyms in German as well, there is generally a subtle distinction: scheu means “avoiding contact with others”, whereas schüchtern means “feeling uncomfortable or awkward in contact with others”. (Hence, one's being schüchtern may but need not lead to one's becoming scheu.)
Declension
Positive forms of schüchtern
Comparative forms of schüchtern
Superlative forms of schüchtern
Adverb
schüchtern
- timidly, shyly
- schüchtern bitten ― to ask timidly
See also
Further reading