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shy
1[ shahy ]
adjective
Antonyms: forward
- easily frightened away; timid.
Antonyms: trusting
- 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.
She’s never been shy about asking to speak to the manager when she’s unhappy with customer service.
shy of funds.
- 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.
- (in poker) indebted to the pot.
- not bearing or breeding freely, as plants or animals.
verb (used without object)
noun
- a sudden start aside, as in fear.
shy
1/ ʃaɪ /
adjective
- not at ease in the company of others
- easily frightened; timid
- often foll by of watchful or wary
- poker (of a player) without enough money to back his bet
- (of plants and animals) not breeding or producing offspring freely
- informal.foll by of short (of)
- in combination showing reluctance or disinclination
workshy
verb
- to move suddenly, as from fear
the horse shied at the snake in the road
- usually foll byoff or away to draw back; recoil
noun
- a sudden movement, as from fear
shy
2/ ʃaɪ /
verb
- to throw (something) with a sideways motion
noun
- a quick throw
- informal.a gibe
- informal.an attempt; experiment
- 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
Origin of shy2
Word History and Origins
Origin of shy1
Origin of shy2
Idioms and Phrases
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
Example Sentences
After all, he’s never been one to shy away from a challenge.
The episode, titled “Who Killed Aaron Hernandez?,” shies away from simple answers to that question.
Yet for authentic fascists to understand why people shy away from close relationships with them — romantic and otherwise — they need look no further than “Arcane” Season 2.
But while claiming he was shy, bereaved or recovering from a bad break-up, McDonald was taking money from them to pay for things that never materialised - from cut-price luxury items to house deposits.
Lineker did not shy away from speaking out about his own views, particularly on social media, while simultaneously working for a broadcaster committed to impartiality.
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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.
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