shy

1 of 5

adjective

shier or shyer ˈshī(-ə)r How to pronounce shy (audio) ; shiest or shyest ˈshī-əst How to pronounce shy (audio)
1
: easily frightened : timid
2
: disposed to avoid a person or thing
publicity shy
3
: hesitant in committing oneself : circumspect
4
: sensitively diffident or retiring : reserved
also : expressive of such a state or nature
a shy smile
5
6
: having less than the full or specified amount or number : short
just shy of six feet tall
7
: disreputable
gambling hells and shy saloonsBlackwood's
shyly adverb
shyness noun

shy

2 of 5

verb (1)

shied; shying

intransitive verb

1
: to develop or show a dislike or distaste
usually used with from or away from
an author who shies away from publicity
2
: to start suddenly aside through fright or alarm

shy

3 of 5

noun (1)

plural shies
: a sudden start aside (as from fright)

shy

4 of 5

verb (2)

shied; shying

intransitive verb

: to make a sudden throw

transitive verb

: to throw (an object) with a jerk : fling

shy

5 of 5

noun (2)

plural shies
1
: the act of shying : toss, throw
2
: a verbal fling or attack
3
Choose the Right Synonym for shy

shy, bashful, diffident, modest, coy mean not inclined to be forward.

shy implies a timid reserve and a shrinking from familiarity or contact with others.

shy with strangers

bashful implies a frightened or hesitant shyness characteristic of childhood and adolescence.

a bashful boy out on his first date

diffident stresses a distrust of one's own ability or opinion that causes hesitation in acting or speaking.

felt diffident about raising an objection

modest suggests absence of undue confidence or conceit.

modest about her success

coy implies a pretended shyness.

put off by her coy manner

Examples of shy in a Sentence

Adjective I was painfully shy as a teenager. She was too shy to ask for help. He gave her a shy smile. Help yourself if you want more. Don't be shy.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Adrienne Bailon married her husband, Israel Houghton, in 2019 Adrienne Bailon and Israel Houghton have been together since 2016 and have never been shy about sharing their love and dedication for each other. Jessica Booth, Peoplemag, 18 Mar. 2024 This is a huge win for people like me who are shy about asking a human masseuse to switch it up for fear of an awkward interaction. Annie Colbert, Popular Science, 13 Mar. 2024 Altogether, the nearly 1,300-square-foot spread comprises three bedrooms and two bathrooms and begins at just shy of $860 per night. Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 13 Mar. 2024 Just shy of a week after an arson attack on a nearby electricity transmission tower cut off power and forced a factory shutdown, Tesla’s Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg has taken its first step to resume production. William Gavin, Quartz, 12 Mar. 2024 That means this year’s show was up just shy of 4% in total viewers but down 5% in the key demo. Joe Otterson, Variety, 11 Mar. 2024 The original horror pic had hoped for an opening in the $10 million to $14 million but may come in just shy of $9 million. Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Mar. 2024 The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 130 points, or 0.3%, and the Nasdaq composite jumped 1.5% to finish just shy of its record. Stan Choe, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2024 Oak Flat, located just shy of 70 miles east of Phoenix, is regarded as one of the most sacred sites to the Apache people. Kaely Monahan, The Arizona Republic, 6 Mar. 2024
Verb
Lemon did not shy away from hot-button issues with Musk. Maxwell Zeff / Gizmodo, Quartz, 19 Mar. 2024 While other buyers might have shied away from such a large and complex project, the Gasparinis saw an opportunity. Rachel Gallaher, Robb Report, 16 Mar. 2024 Documentary filmmaker Dan Reed doesn’t shy away from unpleasant topics. Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Mar. 2024 President Joe Biden did not shy away from concerns over his age in Thursday's State of the Union address. Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 8 Mar. 2024 Vulnerable House Republicans would have shied away from certain measures and Democrats in the House and Senate would have opposed it. Jacob Bogage, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024 Getty Images Americans are more willing to venture outside the US Summer may be the time for major long-haul getaways, but that doesn’t mean that Americans are shying away from using their passports during spring break. Rachel Chang, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Feb. 2024 Google Nest founder Matt Rogers didn’t shy away from the commitment, venturing fully and completely into a realm many gearheads consider sacrilegious, all with the goal of producing zero tailpipe emissions. Basem Wasef, Robb Report, 6 Mar. 2024 Americana Pipedream also doesn’t shy away from firearms. Charles W. McFarlane, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024
Noun
That’s a reflection of both Trump’s repetition of his election lies and the way a conservative media world parrots those lies, or at least shies away from contradicting them. Steve Peoples and Nicholas Riccardi, Chicago Tribune, 24 Aug. 2023 A lot of that had to do with Duvall, who fell a single shy of the cycle. Julian McWilliams, BostonGlobe.com, 1 Apr. 2023 The olfactory haven is home to bestsellers like Love, Don’t Be Shy and Princess, but its newest chapter shies away from perfume (for a moment) to bring scent to life through makeup exploration with Sir John at the helm as the house’s first-ever creative director. Nerisha Penrose, ELLE, 21 Apr. 2023 Tuesday’s losses ate into each major index’s year-to-date gains as the market increasingly bakes in slumping corporate earnings and shies away from optimism that the Federal Reserve will stop raising interest rates sooner than expected. Derek Saul, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2023 Kevin Smith came up in the ninth inning for Triple-A Las Vegas on Sept. 17 a single shy of the cycle, with one thought in mind. Matt Kawahara, San Francisco Chronicle, 27 Sep. 2022 But Jefferson, on an instant replay review, was ruled down by contact about a half-yard shy of the goal line. Mark Maske, Anchorage Daily News, 14 Nov. 2022 Jones had a career-high four RBIs and finished a single shy of the cycle, and Yordan Alvarez hit a three-run homer as the Astros beat Seattle 15-1 on Saturday. Kristie Rieken, Chron, 21 Aug. 2021 At the Coliseum, Paul Blackburn held Baltimore to four hits in eight innings and Matt Chapman (3-for-3, two walks) fell a single shy of the cycle. Sporting Green Staff, SFChronicle.com, 2 July 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English schey, going back to Old English scēoh, going back to West Germanic *skeuh(w)a- (whence also Middle High German schiehe, schiech "timid, despondent," and, with alteration or variant ablaut, Middle Dutch scu, scouw "timid"), perhaps extended form of Indo-European *(s)keu̯(H)- "perceive, watch" — more at show entry 1

Verb (1)

derivative of shy entry 1

Noun (1)

derivative of shy entry 2

Verb (2)

of obscure origin

Noun (2)

derivative of shy entry 4

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

1649, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (1)

1791, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

1787, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun (2)

1791, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of shy was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near shy

Cite this Entry

“Shy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shy. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

shy

1 of 3 adjective
shier or shyer ˈshī(-ə)r How to pronounce shy (audio) ; shiest or shyest ˈshī-əst How to pronounce shy (audio)
1
a
: easily frightened : timid
b
: not feeling comfortable around people : not wanting or able to call attention to oneself
2
: having less than a full or an expected amount or number
we were about ten dollars shy of our goal
shyly adverb
shyness noun

shy

2 of 3 verb
shied; shying
1
: to draw back in sudden dislike or distaste
shied from publicity
2
: to move quickly to one side in fright
the horse shied

shy

3 of 3 noun
plural shies
: a sudden move to one side

More from Merriam-Webster on shy

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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