Introduction
Many people have confusion that quiet and shy are the same thing. This might be true up to some extent but not entirely. Quiet and shy might be used as a synonym in a few places. But the base of these two words is different from each other. Quiet means not speaking. It is related to noise and means a place where there is no noise. In the context of a person, quiet means a kind of person who usually prefers to remain silent most of the time. However, shy means people who remain timid and nervous in front of people. They are either afraid to speak in front of people or feel hesitation in doing so.
Quite vs. Shy
According to the Cambridge dictionary, the term quiet means the person who is calmer, less noisy or makes less noise. In the context of a person, it means a person who doesn’t speak too much or prefers to remain silent at most times. It is primarily the choice of a person who is not afraid of speaking. Still, it prefers not to speak in front of people.
When the word quiet is taken in the business context, then it means that the business is not facing good days. There might be personal reasons like the business is not making a profit or their consumers are losing trust in the business. However, it symbolizes that this quiet period is not for long. And, the company is bound to enjoy profits again. But in the present situation, it is going through a difficult time.
According to the oxford dictionary, shy means hesitation or nervousness. A shy person doesn’t like to talk much to people or they are afraid of talking to people. When they are in public, they either get frightened or hesitate to be there.
Shy is an adjective that represents the nature of a person. It refers to the hesitation of people they face when they are in public. A shy person has to face a lot more problems than an extrovert. It usually can’t even express its will and necessities in front of people.
Difference Between Quiet And Shy in Tabular Form
| Parameter of comparison | Shy | quiet |
| Attributes | Nervous, timid | Quiet, calm |
| Behavior | Anxious, uncomfortable | Silent, introvert |
| Way of interaction | Nervous to speak in front of people. They even start blushing or stammering while talking to strangers | Remain very calm. They do not face any problems in communicating with people. talks enthusiastically. |
| Way of interaction in discussion | They may have amazing ideas but they are afraid of speaking among people | They usually prefer to remain silent unless they are not said to speak |
What Does Quiet Mean?
Quiet is just a state of mind. It is more about the behavior of a person rather than nature. A person sets quietness as their preference. Since it is a preference, it does not affect the person's mind.
A quiet person remains silent at most times. It tries to avoid social gatherings and public places. Quiet people do not like to be in the midst of people and avoid social contact as much as possible. However, there might be some people who like to be in the surrounding of people but don’t want to speak.
It is a matter of choice. It is considered that quiet people are creative and wise. They work more efficiently as compared to other people. They believe in working, not speaking. These are a few merits of a quiet person that makes them better than others. They become a good employee, workforce, partner, and on a whole good people.
Being quiet has its benefits. Because when a person who remains always quiet speaks, he pays attention to the words he chose to speak effectively delivering the information. They are considered serious people. Thus, people pay more attention to their words when they speak.
However, quiet people may have to face problems in certain cases. They do not believe in face value; hence they prefer to make an image in front of people. They believe more in working. Thus, even if they are highly efficient, they never come into the mainline. Let us try to understand it with the help of an example.
Sheena has recently joined a multinational company. She is an efficient girl with an alluring educational qualification. But she does not like much get involved with people and tries to keep her distance from people. She started doing her work and was doing well. Soon, she became one of the best employees in the company. However, though she has spent a good time in the company, she did not build close relationships with her colleagues. She talks to them but only for professional purposes. Though she was considered efficient and hard-working, she lacked friendly nature. It resulted that she ended up making no friends. She soon lost interest in her job.
It was one example of a quiet girl. Though she is an efficient and hard-working colleague, a lack of friendliness ended up making her work boring. She liked to be like this but not for long.
Quietness is not a health problem. It is a matter of choice. In some cases, it proves to be beneficial but in others, it proves to be hazardous. Each person manages it in different ways. For example, a quiet person might speak in places where they think they should. Some people set up management to maintain the equilibrium between were to speak and where not.
Quietness need not be a habit. A person can use quietness depending on their will. Keeping quiet also delivers various meanings. For example, it conveys that the person standing in front of you is, either not interested in something or they do not want to show any expression. It is sometimes considered one of the most powerful weapons. Being quiet has nothing to do with a health problem.
To summarize, quiet means not speaking and being calm. It is used to keep the mind calm and happy. A silent person not necessarily be timid and nervous. Remaining quiet is a choice, not forced work. It depends on the person and what he wants. Being silent has both merits and demerits, depending on the situation. It depends on the person how he is using his quiet. It is even considered a powerful weapon against someone.
What Does Shy Mean?
Shy is the nature of a person. According to British English, the word shy means timid. In other words, shy means timid and nervous. In simple terms, shy refers to the nature of a person where the person feels nervous or timid in front of others. He is hesitant to speak to other people, especially strangers. It refers to fearfulness to some extent. It is an adjective that is used to denote the nature of a person.
Shyness is one of the common problems faced by people. A person is hesitant to meet new people, talk to them and even sit around them. It is a pretty common problem in small children, which goes away with time. However, sometimes, it does not go away with time. People get the same feeling after meeting a stranger, as they used to feel in their childhood.
Hesitation and being afraid of new people are common problems of shy people. They always fear being rejected, insulted, teased, etc in society. They do not take part in anything and try to conceal their presence as much as possible. This habit set them far aside from the mainline. They are not usually recognized anywhere. Even if they have the talent to do something, they prefer not to show it.
Some shy people, it is often seen that they do blushing and stammer while talking to a stranger. Say it is a habit or nature, but shy people find it difficult to get over it. It sometimes creates a serious problem for shy people. They might face social disapproval for it. Bushing and stammering are common problems in childhood, but it becomes a blunder when it continues till adulthood. It is considered a weakness and lack of confidence making a bad impression on others.
The next problem of shy people is afraid. They are afraid to face people. It looks safer to them not to talk to people and avoid as many contacts as possible. It happens more with them when they are among strangers. They are afraid of being criticized, rejected, mocked, etc. To avoid these kinds of situations, they prefer not to speak in front of people.
Shy people are too conscious of what other people think about them. They are full of ego-driven fear. So, they prefer to make friends of low esteem so that they are not being judged at every moment. They fear for their image in society. They are serious about their criticism, reaction, rejection, and embarrassment.
Shyness is good at some point. But it becomes worse when it gets attached to other problems like social phobia or social anxiety. Social phobia means a person is afraid to get in front of people and socialize with others. Such a kind of person most time remains inside the home. They do not meet up with new people. It is the extreme condition of shyness where instead of feeling nervous, people are afraid to meet people. They are highly conscious of their image and reputation. They do not want to ruin it for any region, not even by showing their fear. So, it says that it is a kind of fear from fear. Though quietness is a choice, shyness is like thrust upon someone. And, no other can help it but the person himself.
Shyness cannot be adopted. It is a natural thing that comes up from childhood. But it becomes a problem when it continues till adult. It not only affects the social life of the person but also their professional life. Because of their fear, they never build a social circle. They have very few friends who are of low esteem, so they do not judge them. Even at work, they do not cooperate with everyone. They love to remain in their comfort zone.
It is a health problem. And, measures are important to take about them. For example, if a person is afraid of meeting people, they should slowly learn to talk to people. It can be started by talking to classmates or colleagues with whom the person had never talked before. It would help to build confidence in the person. They will put their first step to make themselves socialize.
A person can contact a psychiatrist if they are facing social phobia because it is a serious problem. It can affect the overall development of the person.
Difference Between Quiet and Shy in Points
- The word quiet means are silent and calm. A quiet person is always silent and remains calm in every situation. It is not afraid of social gatherings but tries to avoid them as much as possible. However, the word shy means nervous and timid. These people are afraid to meet new people and social gatherings.
- A shy person becomes hesitant and anxious in front of people, especially strangers. They do not want to talk to anyone. However, quiet people are silent and introverted. It is their matter of choice whether they want to meet anyone or not.
- Blushing, stammering, nervousness, timidness, and fear, are some adjectives for shy people. They behave timidly when they are told to face people. However, quiet people are silent, enthusiastic, etc. They interact enthusiastically with people.
- They do not like to speak even if are encouraged to do so. However, quiet people can be a milestone. They might have good ideas, but they prefer to remain silent unless they are told to speak.
Conclusion
There is a little yet significant difference between the words quiet and shy. Both prefer to remain silent, but one from choice and the other from fear. A quiet person is silent and calm. But a shy person is nervous, timid, and hesitant. Being silent is just a state of mind, but shyness is the nature of a person. Shyness might sometimes create a problem.
References
- https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/shy
- https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/quiet
