crawl/go/retreat/retire into your shell
to become less interested in other people and less willing to talk and take part in social activities:
The more they tried to get her to talk about her experiences, the further she retreated back into her shell.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Shy and modest
- aw shucks
- backward
- bashful
- be backward in coming forward idiom
- coy
- efface
- inadequate
- inhibited
- inhibition
- introvert
- modest
- modesty
- selfless
- shrinking violet
- shy
- shyly
- shyness
- unassuming
- withdraw
- withdrawal
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