wallflower
wallflower Lexical Profile
wallflower Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A shy or socially awkward person who remains on the periphery of a party or social gathering, often because they lack a partner or feel uncomfortable participating.
"Despite her brilliance in the laboratory, she was a wallflower at networking events and preferred observing the crowd rather than mingling."
A widely cultivated, spring-blooming plant of the mustard family, native to Europe and western Asia, characterized by fragrant yellow, orange, or brownish-red flowers and a tendency to grow in the crevices of old walls.
"The gardener planted vibrant wallflowers along the stone borders to add fragrance and color to the rustic patio."
• Rhymes for wallflower
Word Origin & Etymology
Originating in the 1520s to denote the fragrant plant (genus Erysimum) that commonly grows in the cracks of ancient stone walls. The figurative sense emerged around 1820 to describe someone (originally a woman) sitting at the edge of the room during a dance due to lacking a partner.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.