A shrinking violet is a very shy person, someone who is an extreme introvert and does not enjoy attention or engaging with others. The earliest known use of the term shrinking violet was in 1820, in an article written by Leigh Hunt. However, Hunt used the term shrinking violet to refer to an actual flower.

Where did the term shrinking violet originate?

The term shrinking violet appears quite suddenly on both sides of the Atlantic in the early nineteenth century. In Britain, the poet and journalist Leigh Hunt, born in London to one-time American colonists, is first known to have used it, in a magazine called The Indicator in February 1820.

What does the saying shrinking violet mean?

: a bashful or retiring person.