51Թ

Advertisement

View synonyms for

shy

1

[shahy]

adjective

shyer, shier, shyest, shiest. 
  1. bashful; retiring.

    Antonyms:
  2. easily frightened away; timid.

    Antonyms:
  3. suspicious, distrustful, or wary (often used in combination): The studio made a huge mistake when they cast a horse-shy actor in the cowboy role.

    I am a bit shy of that sort of person.

    The studio made a huge mistake when they cast a horse-shy actor in the cowboy role.

    This particular inventor was known to be media-shy.

  4. reluctant.

    She’s never been shy about asking to speak to the manager when she’s unhappy with customer service.

    Synonyms: , ,
    Antonyms: , ,
  5. deficient.

    shy of funds.

  6. short of a full amount or number; scant: He's pretty tall—just an inch shy of six feet.

    We're still a few dollars shy of our goal.

    He's pretty tall—just an inch shy of six feet.

  7. (in poker) indebted to the pot.

  8. not bearing or breeding freely, as plants or animals.



verb (used without object)

shied, shying 
  1. (especially of a horse) to start back or aside, as in fear.

  2. to draw back; recoil.

    Synonyms:
    Antonyms:

noun

plural

shies 
  1. a sudden start aside, as in fear.

shy

2

[shahy]

verb (used with or without object)

shied, shying 
  1. to throw with a swift, sudden movement.

    to shy a stone.

    Synonyms: , , , ,

noun

plural

shies 
  1. a quick, sudden throw.

  2. Informal.

    1. a gibe or sneer.

    2. a try.

shy

1

/ ʃɪ /

adjective

  1. not at ease in the company of others

  2. easily frightened; timid

  3. (often foll by of) watchful or wary

  4. poker (of a player) without enough money to back his bet

  5. (of plants and animals) not breeding or producing offspring freely

  6. informal(foll by of) short (of)

  7. (in combination) showing reluctance or disinclination

    workshy

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to move suddenly, as from fear

    the horse shied at the snake in the road

  2. to draw back; recoil

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a sudden movement, as from fear

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

shy

2

/ ʃɪ /

verb

  1. to throw (something) with a sideways motion

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a quick throw

  2. informala gibe

  3. informalan attempt; experiment

  4. short for cockshy

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Discover More

Other 51Թ Forms

  • shyer noun
  • shyly adverb
  • shyness noun
  • ˈԱ noun
  • ˈ adverb
  • ˈ noun
Discover More

51Թ History and Origins

Origin of shy1

First recorded before 1000; Middle English (adjective) schei, sheu, sheouh “easily startled,” Old English ŧdz “timid, fearful, shy”; cognate with Middle High German schiech; akin to Dutch schuw, German scheu; eschew

Origin of shy2

First recorded in 1780–90; origin uncertain
Discover More

51Թ History and Origins

Origin of shy1

Old English sceoh; related to Old High German sciuhen to frighten away, Dutch schuw shy, Swedish skygg

Origin of shy2

C18: of Germanic origin; compare Old High German sciuhen to make timid, Middle Dutch üٱ to chase away
Discover More

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. fight shy of, to keep away from; avoid.

    She fought shy of making the final decision.

In addition to the idiom beginning with shy, also see bricks shy of a load; fight shy of; once bitten, twice shy.
Discover More

Synonym Study

Shy, bashful, diffident imply a manner that shows discomfort or lack of confidence in association with others. Shy implies a constitutional shrinking from contact or close association with others, together with a wish to escape notice: shy and retiring. Bashful suggests timidity about meeting others, and trepidation and awkward behavior when brought into prominence or notice: a bashful child. Diffident emphasizes self-distrust, fear of censure, failure, etc., and a hesitant, tentative manner as a consequence: a diffident approach to a touchy subject.
Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

He stranded a leadoff double in the third, collecting the first of his five strikeouts along the way; a total that leaves him just 12 shy of reaching 3,000 strikeouts for his career.

From

No Choice premieres in Los Angeles at the Dances With Films festival on June 23 — just one day shy of the third anniversary marking the fall of Roe v.

From

Mr Noble, who is also the coach of Crowthorne FC where Othniel was a player, described him as "quite a shy, timid lad, until he's got a football at his feet".

From

They didn’t shy away from the scent’s complexity, leaning into the more unusual notes like gin, elderflower and leather.

From

He also wasn’t shy about scolding dining companions who committed such sins as buttering their bread or not eating all their vegetables.

From

Advertisement

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


shwe-shweshy away from