gun-shy
Americanadjective
-
frightened by the sound of a gunshot.
a gun-shy bird dog.
-
hesitant, wary, or distrustful, especially because of previous unpleasant experience.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of gun-shy
First recorded in 1880–85
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.
“Everyone is gun-shy about getting on his bad side,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 13, 2026
Now you’re down 10%, feeling gun-shy and psychologically paralyzed, unable to pull the trigger on new opportunities.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 28, 2026
It makes sense that he is initially gun-shy having just ended a marriage, but his long-term passivity does not make him endearing.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2024
However, Joshua has been criticised for being too gun-shy in his approach since losing to Ruiz, opting to outbox rather than bulldoze his opponents.
From BBC ● Mar. 31, 2023
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 "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney
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.
