shy

1 of 5

adjective

ˈshī 

shier or shyer ˈshī(-ə)r  ; shiest or shyest ˈshī-əst 

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

: secluded, hidden

6

: having less than the full or specified amount or number : short

just shy of six feet tall

7

: disreputable

gambling hells and shy saloons

—Blackwood'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

: cockshy

Synonyms

Adjective

• fainthearted
• fearful
• fearsome
• mousy
• mousey
• scary
• skittish
• timid
• timorous
• tremulous

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

That's shy of the monthly average for payroll gains of 180,000 in 2024 and 227,000 jobs added in November, pending any revisions. —Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025

Zoom in: In Colorado, Democrats hold all state constitutional offices, 43 of 65 seats in the House and 23 of 35 seats in the Senate, just shy of supermajorities in each chamber. —Alayna Alvarez, Axios, 8 Jan. 2025

Verb

No One Can Be Bothered With Stretch Goals Relatedly, employees may feel empowered to shy away from difficult or high risk assignments in workplaces with a Quitters' Day culture. —Nate Bennett, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025

Colman Domingo is never one to shy away from making a statement with fashion. —Angel Saunders, People.com, 6 Jan. 2025

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

Phrases Containing shy

• coconut shy
• fight shy of
• gun-shy
• once bitten, twice shy
• shy (away) from
• shy bladder
• shy bladder syndrome
• work-shy

Kids Definition

shy

1 of 3 adjective

ˈshī 

shier or shyer ˈshī(-ə)r  ; shiest or shyest ˈshī-əst 

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