camera-shy

American

[kam-er-uh-shahy, kam-ruh-] / ˈkæm ər əˌʃaɪ, ˈkæm rə- /

adjective

unwilling or afraid to be photographed or filmed.

camera-shy British

adjective

having an aversion to being photographed or filmed

"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 camera-shy

First recorded in 1920–25

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.

But recently adopted beagle mix Sweetie lived up to her name with a single valiant effort, before becoming too camera-shy and forgetting every trick she’s ever learned.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 28, 2023

He said the 17-minute documentary required night shoots and 0400 wake up calls to film some of the "camera-shy animals".

From BBC • Aug. 5, 2022

There is no shame in being camera-shy, and your dog shares this trait with some of America’s finest novelists.

From Slate • Apr. 18, 2019

The notoriously camera-shy Frenchman glares into her lens.

From The Guardian • Mar. 31, 2019

Charity telephoned to ask Jim Dyckman to act, but he proved to be camera-shy and intractable.

From We Can't Have Everything by Hughes, Rupert

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023