camera-shy

[ kam-er-uh-shahy, kam-ruh- ]

/ ˈkæm ər əˌʃaɪ, ˈkæm rə- /

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adjective

unwilling or afraid to be photographed or filmed.

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Origin of camera-shy

First recorded in 1920–25

Words nearby camera-shy

camera obscura, cameraperson, camera phone, camera-ready, camera-ready copy, camera-shy, caméra stylo, camera tube, camerawoman, camerlengo, Cameron

How to use camera-shy in a sentence

His peers remember him as a bright man who spoke softly and occasionally came across as a bit shy.
Mexico’s Priests Are Marked for Murder|Jason McGahan|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Open-carry activists are known for baiting cops into on-camera arguments about the Second Amendment and state laws.
Texas Gun Slingers Police the Police—With a Black Panthers Tactic|Brandy Zadrozny|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
We also see her physically battling Sheriff Clark, but the camera focuses on her falling to the ground.
Dr. King Goes to Hollywood: The Flawed History of ‘Selma’|Gary May|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The camera passes to each hostage in turn to allow them to plead with the Lebanese government to let them live.
A Sunni-Shia Love Story Imperiled by al Qaeda|Ruth Michaelson|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Sabrine was the outgoing, sociable type, and had many friends, while Ziad was shy and a little more introverted.
A Sunni-Shia Love Story Imperiled by al Qaeda|Ruth Michaelson|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Possibly, he would not shy at such monstrosities after twenty miles of a lathering ride.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
He gave me some instructions, but I was too confused to understand them, and too shy to ask questions.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow
But Mrs. Charmington was already on the wane, and as he had no wish to be her hero now he rather fought shy of her.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
After this Aristide learned much of her simple history, which she, at first, had been too shy to reveal.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
Rosemary, shy but happy, began giving out the toys, diving with both hands at once into the baskets which the fairy father held.
Rosemary in Search of a Father|C. N. Williamson

British Dictionary definitions for camera-shy

camera-shy

adjective

having an aversion to being photographed or filmed

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