Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

shier

1 American  
[shahy-er] / ˈʃaɪ ər /

adjective

  1. a comparative of shy.

shier 2 American  
[shahy-er] / ˈʃaɪ ər /
Or shyer

noun

  1. a horse having a tendency to shy.

shier 1 British  
/ ˈʃaɪə /

adjective

  1. a comparative of shy 1

"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
shier 2 British  
/ ˈʃaɪə /

noun

  1. a horse that shies habitually

"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 shier

First recorded in 1820–30; shy 1 + -er 1

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.

“Mabel 2 is much shier and has more wildness in her,” so she was used in the nervous bird scenes early on.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 12, 2025

“I just loved it. It was a natural fit. I think it’s good for any child, to be honest, for confidence. I was on the shier side.”

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 3, 2025

Toula worked in my shier stage of life.

From Time Magazine Archive

No doubt you are peacefully settled on your ancestral estate with only a few months and a little patience between you and your grandfather’s shier.

From The House of a Thousand Candles by Nicholson, Meredith

He was really a fine shier, and his dribbling powers beyond dispute.

From Scottish Football Reminiscences and Sketches by Bone, David Drummond

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.