Timidly is the adverb: doing something in a way that shows you are frightened or unsure of yourself. It nearly always sits next to a small, quiet action verb — she knocked timidly, he asked timidly, they timidly raised a hand, she smiled timidly.

Timidly timidly is the adverb是副詞: doing something in a way that shows you are frightened or unsure of yourself指用一種顯得害怕或沒自信的方式做某件事。It nearly always sits next to a small, quiet action verb它幾乎總是搭配一個小小的、安靜的動作動詞 — she knocked timidly像she knocked timidly, he asked timidly he asked timidly, they timidly raised a hand they timidly raised a hand, she smiled timidly還有she smiled timidly。

That is what makes it useful in storytelling: 'She asked' tells you nothing, but 'She asked timidly' shows you her voice going small. Writers of novels use it constantly for exactly this reason, and it can start to sound overdone if you use it twice on the same page.

That is what makes it useful in storytelling這正是它在敘事裡好用的地方： 'She asked' tells you nothing'She asked'什麼都沒告訴你, but 'She asked timidly' shows you her voice going small但'She asked timidly'讓你看到她的聲音變小了。Writers of novels use it constantly for exactly this reason小說作者正是因為這個原因常常使用它, and it can start to sound overdone if you use it twice on the same page不過如果同一頁用兩次，就會開始顯得刻意。

Like the adjective, it also stretches to decisions and money: 'the company moved timidly into the new market' means they went in too carefully, and the writer thinks that was a mistake. Position is flexible — before the verb or after the whole phrase both work ('he timidly opened the door' / 'he opened the door timidly') — and the meaning does not change.

Like the adjective跟形容詞一樣, it also stretches to decisions and money它也延伸用在決策和金錢方面： 'the company moved timidly into the new market'像'the company moved timidly into the new market' means they went in too carefully意思是他們進場進得太過小心翼翼, and the writer thinks that was a mistake而且作者認為這是個錯誤。Position is flexible位置很彈性 — before the verb or after the whole phrase both work放在動詞前面或整個句子後面都可以（'he timidly opened the door' / 'he opened the door timidly'像'he timidly opened the door'或'he opened the door timidly'） — and the meaning does not change意思不會改變。

Its close relatives are 'nervously', which is about the feeling inside, and 'hesitantly', which is about pausing before you act. Timidly is about the smallness of the action itself.

Its close relatives are 'nervously', which is about the feeling inside它的近義詞'nervously'講的是內心的感覺, and 'hesitantly', which is about pausing before you act而'hesitantly'講的是行動前的猶豫。Timidly is about the smallness of the action itself而timidly講的則是動作本身有多小。