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

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

From MarketWatch • Jan. 28, 2026

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 • Dec. 5, 2025

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 • Nov. 5, 2025

Defensively, it was a sound performance by Haney, largely because gun-shy Ramirez did so little.

From BBC • May 3, 2025

As before, archaeologists became gun-shy about arguing that Indians arrived in the Americas before the canonical date.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann