shrinking violet

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

They both said you don't want "a shrinking violet".

From BBC • Dec. 22, 2025

"This is no shrinking violet, she's ambitious — she's not shy about that, nor should she be," Bannon, Trump's former chief strategist, revealed in an interview with NBC News.

From Salon • Jan. 25, 2023

I must say, Gillian is not a shrinking violet; she has a very strong screen presence always.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 2, 2022

“Bobby’s not a shrinking violet, and Bobby made it extremely clear who he supported and why he supported him,” said Terry McGuirk, the team’s chairman and a decades-long fixture of sports management in Atlanta.

From New York Times • Oct. 20, 2021

I mean his pa was purt close to Pap’s size and his ma wasn’t no shrinking violet of a woman neither.

From "The Journey of Little Charlie" by Christopher Paul Curtis