shy

¹ American  

[shahy] / ʃaɪ /

adjective

shyer, shier, shyest, shiest

1. bashful; retiring.

   Antonyms:

   forward

2. easily frightened away; timid.

   Antonyms:

   trusting

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:

   chary, cautious, heedful

   Antonyms:

   willing, inclined, disposed

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.

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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:

   shrink

   Antonyms:

   advance

noun

plural

shies

1. a sudden start aside, as in fear.

idioms

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

   She fought shy of making the final decision.

shy ² American  

[shahy] / ʃaɪ /

verb (used with or without object)

shied, shying

1. to throw with a swift, sudden movement.

   to shy a stone.

   Synonyms:

   flip, cast, fling, pitch, toss

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noun

plural

shies

1. a quick, sudden throw.

2. Informal.

   1. a gibe or sneer.

   2. a try.

shy ¹ British  

/ ʃaɪ /

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

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verb

1. to move suddenly, as from fear

   the horse shied at the snake in the road

2. to draw back; recoil

noun

1. a sudden movement, as from fear

shy ² British  

/ ʃaɪ /

verb

1. to throw (something) with a sideways motion

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noun

1. a quick throw

2. informal a gibe

3. informal an attempt; experiment

4. short for cockshy

shy More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing shy

• bricks shy of a load
• fight shy of
• once bitten, twice shy

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Related Words

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.

Other Word Forms

• shyer noun
• shyly adverb
• shyness noun

Etymology

Origin of shy¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English (adjective) schei, sheu, sheouh “easily startled,” Old English scēoh “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

Example Sentences

They often abandon traditional pop music structures, they don’t shy away from abrasive arrangements, and Ayewa’s lyricism speaks directly to the soul.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026

Gemili narrowly missed out on more medals, finishing fourth in the 200m at the Rio 2016 Olympics, just 0.003 seconds shy of bronze, before another fourth place at the Doha 2019 World Athletics Championships.

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026

As a schoolboy, Norris wrote, he was shy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

Germany’s 10-year bund yield, a proxy for risk-free rates in the eurozone, was just shy of 3%, the highest since 2007.

From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026

“She would’ve asked herself, but she gets shy around you ’cause she thinks you’re cute.

From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas

Related Words

• afraid
• apprehensive
• bashful
• cautious
• circumspect
• coy
• demure
• diffident
• fearful
• hesitant
• humble
• introverted
• modest
• nervous
• reluctant
• reticent
• self-effacing
• sheepish
• suspicious
• timid