Adjacent Words

shier definitions

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Merriam Webster's

comparative of shy

Oxford Reference Dictionary

compar. of SHY(1).

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Shy Shy (sh[imac]), a. [Compar. Shier (-[~e]r) or Shyer; superl. Shiest or Shyest.] [OE. schey, skey, sceouh, AS. sce['o]h; akin to Dan. sky, Sw. skygg, D. schuw, MHG. schiech, G. scheu, OHG. sciuhen to be or make timid. Cf. Eschew.] 1. Easily frightened; timid; as, a shy bird. The horses of the army . . . were no longer shy, but would come up to my very feet without starting. --Swift. 2. Reserved; coy; disinclined to familiar approach. What makes you so shy, my good friend? There's nobody loves you better than I. --Arbuthnot. The embarrassed look of shy distress And maidenly shamefacedness. --Wordsworth. 3. Cautious; wary; suspicious. I am very shy of using corrosive liquors in the preparation of medicines. --Boyle. Princes are, by wisdom of state, somewhat shy of thier successors. --Sir H. Wotton. To fight shy. See under Fight, v. i.