The adjective suffix -ful has a number of different senses, most of which have very little to do with "full of." In the case of bashful, -ful means "having the qualities of." This sense of -ful was combined with an obsolete verb bash meaning "to be abashed” (that is, dismayed or embarrassed) to form bashful, which literally means “having the qualities of being abashed.” This combination of a verb with -ful is also seen in mournful, which literally means “having the qualities of mourning.”
bashful boys asking girls to dance a bashful child who hid in his room whenever there were visitors in the house
Recent Examples on the WebThe wheel-and-tire package—featuring staggered 20-inch, 35-series Michelin Pilot Sport 4S, off the shelf—is downright bashful. Dan Neil, WSJ, 26 Aug. 2022 He’s sweet, introspective, a bit bashful and values the ritual of manually flipping tapes and LPs over to start anew — not only an obvious metaphor in a film that trades in them, but clunky foreshadowing too. Courtney Howard, Variety, 23 June 2022 When your job is to constantly hunt for new restaurants, few things are as thrilling as coming across an intriguing new concept with a bashful name. Nick Kindelsperger, Chicago Tribune, 8 June 2022 Camille Weatherspoon may be a bit bashful, but that hasn’t stopped the high school student from getting her products into the hands of grateful customers. C.r. Walker, Chicago Tribune, 10 May 2022 During our conversation, Welsh revealed that her bashful, timid nature wasn’t anything new.Essence, 3 Mar. 2022 San Francisco leaders haven’t been bashful about their hopes to make Treasure Island a playground for the affluent. Justin Phillips, San Francisco Chronicle, 13 Mar. 2022 Some are calm and bashful while others howl or jump, full of energy. Tess Williams, Anchorage Daily News, 11 Mar. 2022 And there’s no need to feel bashful about the situation either. Rozalynn S. Frazier, SELF, 10 Mar. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Early Modern English bash "to lose composure, be dismayed" (going back to Middle English baishen, basshen, probably aphetic variant of abaissen, abaschen "to abash") + -ful entry 1