shy

¹

[ shahy ]

adjective

, shy·er or shi·er [shahy, -er], shy·est or shi·est [shahy, -ist].

1. bashful; retiring.

   Antonyms: forward

2. easily frightened away; timid.

   Antonyms: trusting

3. suspicious, distrustful, or wary (often used in combination): The studio made a huge mistake when they cast a horse-shy actor in the cowboy role.

   I am a bit shy of that sort of person.

   The studio made a huge mistake when they cast a horse-shy actor in the cowboy role.

   This particular inventor was known to be media-shy.

4. reluctant:

   She’s never been shy about asking to speak to the manager when she’s unhappy with customer service.

   Synonyms: chary, cautious, heedful

   Antonyms: willing, inclined, disposed

5. deficient:

   shy of funds.

6. short of a full amount or number; scant: He's pretty tall—just an inch shy of six feet.

   We're still a few dollars shy of our goal.

   He's pretty tall—just an inch shy of six feet.

7. (in poker) indebted to the pot.
8. not bearing or breeding freely, as plants or animals.

verb (used without object)

, shied [shahyd], shy·ing.

1. (especially of a horse) to start back or aside, as in fear.
2. to draw back; recoil.

   Synonyms: shrink

   Antonyms: advance

noun

, plural shies.

1. a sudden start aside, as in fear.

shy

²

[ shahy ]

verb (used with or without object)

, shied, shy·ing.

1. to throw with a swift, sudden movement:

   to shy a stone.

   Synonyms: flip, cast, fling, pitch, toss

noun

, plural shies.

1. a quick, sudden throw.
2. Informal.
   1. a gibe or sneer.
   2. a try.

shy

¹

/ ʃaɪ /

adjective

1. not at ease in the company of others
2. easily frightened; timid
3. often foll by of watchful or wary
4. poker (of a player) without enough money to back his bet
5. (of plants and animals) not breeding or producing offspring freely
6. informal.
   foll by of short (of)
7. in combination showing reluctance or disinclination

   workshy

verb

1. to move suddenly, as from fear

   the horse shied at the snake in the road

2. usually foll byoff or away to draw back; recoil

noun

1. a sudden movement, as from fear

shy

²

/ ʃaɪ /

verb

1. to throw (something) with a sideways motion

noun

1. a quick throw
2. informal.
   a gibe
3. informal.
   an attempt; experiment
4. short for cockshy

Derived Forms

• ˈshyness, noun
• ˈshyly, adverb
• ˈshyer, noun

Other Words From

• shy·er noun
• shy·ly adverb
• shy·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of shy¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English (adjective) schei, sheu, sheouh “easily startled,” Old English scēoh “timid, fearful, shy”; cognate with Middle High German schiech; akin to Dutch schuw, German scheu; eschew

Origin of shy²

First recorded in 1780–90; origin uncertain

Word History and Origins

Origin of shy¹

Old English sceoh; related to Old High German sciuhen to frighten away, Dutch schuw shy, Swedish skygg

Origin of shy²

C18: of Germanic origin; compare Old High German sciuhen to make timid, Middle Dutch schüchteren to chase away

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. fight shy of, to keep away from; avoid:

   She fought shy of making the final decision.

More idioms and phrases containing shy

In addition to the idiom beginning with shy , also see bricks shy of a load ; fight shy of ; once bitten, twice shy .

Synonym Study

Shy, bashful, diffident imply a manner that shows discomfort or lack of confidence in association with others. Shy implies a constitutional shrinking from contact or close association with others, together with a wish to escape notice: shy and retiring. Bashful suggests timidity about meeting others, and trepidation and awkward behavior when brought into prominence or notice: a bashful child. Diffident emphasizes self-distrust, fear of censure, failure, etc., and a hesitant, tentative manner as a consequence: a diffident approach to a touchy subject.

Example Sentences

I was a pretty quiet kid, so I was pretty shy.

From Los Angeles Times

He is shy in nature, easily influenced by Bart's mischievous ideas, and regularly targeted by bullies.

From BBC

The clumsy, shy 10-year-old is one of the most endearing characters in Springfield, thanks in part to his halting, sheepish voice and his stubborn resilience.

From New York Times

“He was shy and funny and so so comfortable on stage. Wow. Like his second skin. You couldn’t take your eyes off him.”

From Los Angeles Times

In that way, Chu takes a stab at making a blockbuster for our times, one that doesn’t shy away from contending with the darkness of contemporary politics and society.

From Salon

Related Words

• afraid
• apprehensive
• bashful
• cautious
• circumspect
• coy
• demure
• diffident
• fearful
• hesitant
• humble
• introverted
• modest
• nervous
• reluctant
• reticent
• self-effacing
• sheepish
• suspicious
• timid