gun-shy

American  

[guhn-shahy] / ˈgʌnˌʃaɪ /

adjective

1. frightened by the sound of a gunshot.

   a gun-shy bird dog.

2. hesitant, wary, or distrustful, especially because of previous unpleasant experience.

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gun-shy British  

adjective

1. afraid of a gun or the sound it makes

   a gun-shy dog is useless for shooting

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Other Word Forms

• gun-shyness noun

Etymology

Origin of gun-shy

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

It was the first day I hadn’t actually gotten a Wonder, and I was feeling gun-shy about showing myself in public again.

From Literature

Now you’re down 10%, feeling gun-shy and psychologically paralyzed, unable to pull the trigger on new opportunities.

From MarketWatch

Sequoia executives told some clients that Wang became gun-shy after that record loss, subsequently failing to take sufficient advantage of soaring markets and having difficulty making decisions, according to people familiar with the conversations.

From The Wall Street Journal

Yet without seeing concrete links to investors getting gun-shy on big tech’s increasing capex or slowing growth, it seems unlikely the AI trade is done.

From Barron's

“As we go forward, I think retailers are going to be a little more gun-shy in terms of what they’re buying because of the uncertainty around tariffs,” Chamandy said Wednesday.

From The Wall Street Journal