adjective,shy·er or shi·er[shahy-er], /ˈʃaɪ ər/, shy·est or shi·est[shahy-ist]. /ˈʃaɪ ɪst/.
bashful; retiring.
easily frightened away; timid.
suspicious, distrustful, or wary (often used in combination): 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.
reluctant: She’s never been shy about asking to speak to the manager when she’s unhappy with customer service.
deficient: shy of funds.
short of a full amount or number; scant: 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),shied[shahyd], /ʃaɪd/, shy·ing.
(especially of a horse) to start back or aside, as in fear.
to draw back; recoil.
noun,pluralshies.
a sudden start aside, as in fear.
Idioms for shy
fight shy of, to keep away from; avoid: She fought shy of making the final decision.
Origin of shy
1
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; cf. eschew
SYNONYMS FOR shy
4 heedful, cautious, chary.
10 shrink.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR shy ON THESAURUS.COM
ANTONYMS FOR shy
1 forward.
2 trusting.
4 disposed, inclined; willing.
10 advance.
SEE ANTONYMS FOR shy ON THESAURUS.COM
synonym study for shy
1. 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.
Just shy of a month from election day, with the earliest mail-in ballots beginning to be counted, Florida has done it again.
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Stewart, who matter-of-factly declared that she wanted to win four championships in college, then did so, never shies away from acknowledging her own level of play.
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Symbolically, I rang the bell two days shy of ringing in 2020 — entering a new year having successfully completed treatment.
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Some allies of Peters have sent warnings to Democratic leaders that if they do not shore up what should be an easy victory, they could fall shy of the majority.
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He came up two assists shy of a triple-double and, at 9-of-16, was efficient shooting the ball.
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Sabrine was the outgoing, sociable type, and had many friends, while Ziad was shy and a little more introverted.
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When Tonie Tobias started at Delta in 1996 she was shy and closeted.
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Not ones to shy away from a fight, the Sailor Senshi defend their leader to the death.
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I had thought it would be tough to get Oliona to talk, that she would be shy about her life.