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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
Norris is not one to shy away from his difficulties in public.
"I think that everyone just needs to manage their expectations. But I'm not going to shy away from it," he says.
Their tally of 26 tries after four matches is just three shy of the overall championship record set by England in 2001.
Tall and shy, the official made notes on his iPad while acknowledging that the new rulers faced enormous security challenges, including the threat coming from Assad loyalists.
When it comes to television, would she return for another round of "Top Chef"? "I don't ever shy away from a little competition," she says.
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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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