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
“The family had an old gun-shy dog. We couldn’t understand why he didn’t bark. Unless he’d seen a gun and bolted.”
From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote
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.
