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Definitions for Shy

[1] bashful; retiring.
[2] easily frightened away; timid.
[3] suspicious; distrustful: I am a bit shy of that sort of person.
[4] reluctant; wary.
[5] deficient: shy of funds.
[6] scant; short of a full amount or number: still a few dollars shy of our goal; an inch shy of being six feet.
[7] (in poker) indebted to the pot.
[8] not bearing or breeding freely, as plants or animals.
[9] (especially of a horse) to start back or aside, as in fear.
[10] to draw back; recoil.
[11] a sudden start aside, as in fear.
[12] fight shy of , to keep away from; avoid: She fought shy of making the final decision.
[13] to throw with a swift, sudden movement: to shy a stone.
[14] a quick, sudden throw.
[15] Informal . a gibe or sneer. a try.
[16] not at ease in the company of others
[17] easily frightened; timid
[18] (often foll by of) watchful or wary
[19] poker (of a player) without enough money to back his bet
[20] (of plants and animals) not breeding or producing offspring freely
[21] (foll by of) informal , mainly US and Canadian short (of)
[22] (in combination) showing reluctance or disinclination workshy
[23] to move suddenly, as from fear the horse shied at the snake in the road
[24] (usually foll by off or away ) to draw back; recoil
[25] a sudden movement, as from fear
[26] to throw (something) with a sideways motion
[27] a quick throw
[28] informal a gibe
[29] informal an attempt; experiment
[30] short for cockshy

Words related to Shy

reticent, wary, cautious, diffident, demure, hesitant, introverted, fearful, nervous, humble, bashful, coy, modest, sheepish, circumspect, apprehensive, self-effacing, suspicious, timid, afraid

Words nearby Shy

shuttlecraft, shvartze, shvernik, shwa, shwe-shwe, shy, shy away from, shy-drager syndrome, shylock, shymkent, shypoo

Origin of Shy

2First recorded in 1780–90; origin uncertain

Other words from Shy

shy·er , noun
shy·ly , adverb
shy·ness , noun
shy·er , noun

Word origin for Shy

C18: of Germanic origin; compare Old High German sciuhen to make timid, Middle Dutch schüchteren to chase away

Synonyms for Shy

afraid, apprehensive, bashful, cautious, circumspect, coy, demure, diffident, fearful, hesitant, humble, introverted, modest, nervous, reluctant, reticent, self-effacing, sheepish, suspicious, timid, wary, disinclined, indisposed, introvert, loner, recessive, reserved, retiring, shrinking, averse, backward, chary, conscious, distrustful, loath, shamefaced, skittish, unassertive, unassured, uneager, uneffusive, unresponsive, unsocial, unwilling