camera-shy

American

[kam-er-uh-shahy, kam-ruh-] / ˈkæm ər əˌʃaɪ, ˈkæm rə- /

adjective

unwilling or afraid to be photographed or filmed.

camera-shy British

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

Etymology

Origin of camera-shy

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Since he is himself very camera-shy, he decided to use the toy as his stand-in for holiday pictures.

From BBC • Jul. 18, 2023

But recently adopted beagle mix Sweetie lived up to her name with a single valiant effort, before becoming too camera-shy and forgetting every trick she’s ever learned.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 28, 2023

Is that truck double-parked on the streets of New York part of a movie set, a luxury trailer for cloistering camera-shy movie stars?

From Washington Post • Apr. 9, 2020

Meijer does not disappoint, crooning to the camera-shy horse.

From The Guardian • Nov. 13, 2019

Charity telephoned to ask Jim Dyckman to act, but he proved to be camera-shy and intractable.

From We Can't Have Everything by Hughes, Rupert

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