Adjacent Words

Shy definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

SHY, a.
1. Fearful of near approach; keeping at a distance through caution or timidity; shunning approach; as a shy bird.
She is represented in a shy retiring posture. Addison.
2. Reserved; not familiar; coy; avoiding freedom of intercourse.
What makes you so shy, my good friend? Arbuthnot.
3. Cautious; wary; careful to avoid committing one's self or adopting measures.
I am very shy of using corrosive liquors in the preparation of medicines.
Boyle.
4. Suspicious; jealous.
Princes are by wisdom of state somewhat shy of their successors. Wotton.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: lacking self-confidence; "stood in the doorway diffident and abashed"; "problems that call for bold not timid responses"; "a very unsure young man" [syn: diffident, shy, timid, unsure] [ant: confident]
2: short; "eleven is one shy of a dozen"
3: wary and distrustful; disposed to avoid persons or things; "shy of strangers" n
1: a quick throw; "he gave the ball a shy to the first baseman" v
1: start suddenly, as from fright
2: throw quickly

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective (shier or shyer; shiest or shyest) Etymology: Middle English schey, from Old English sc?oh; akin to Old High German sciuhen to frighten off Date: before 12th century 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 Synonyms: 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>. II. intransitive verb (shied; shying) Date: 1649 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 III. noun (plural shies) Date: 1791 a sudden start aside (as from fright) IV. verb (shied; shying) Etymology: perhaps from ¹shy Date: 1787 intransitive verb to make a sudden throw transitive verb to throw (an object) with a jerk ; fling V. noun (plural shies) Date: 1791 1. the act of shying ; toss, throw 2. a verbal fling or attack 3. cockshy

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. adj., v., & n. --adj. (shyer, shyest or shier, shiest) 1 a diffident or uneasy in company; timid. b (of an animal, bird, etc.) easily startled; timid. 2 (foll. by of) avoiding; chary of (shy of his aunt; shy of going to meetings). 3 (in comb.) showing fear of or distaste for (gun-shy; work-shy). 4 (often foll. by of, on) colloq. having lost; short of (I'm shy three quid; shy of the price of admission). --v.intr. (shies, shied) 1 (usu. foll. by at) (esp. of a horse) start suddenly aside (at an object, noise, etc.) in fright. 2 (usu. foll. by away from, at) avoid accepting or becoming involved in (a proposal etc.) in alarm. --n. a sudden startled movement. Derivatives: shyer n. shyly adv. (also shily). shyness n. Etymology: OE sceoh f. Gmc 2. v. & n. --v.tr. (shies, shied) (also absol.) fling or throw (a stone etc.). --n. the act or an instance of shying. Phrases and idioms: have a shy at colloq. 1 try to hit with a stone etc. 2 make an attempt at. 3 jeer at. Derivatives: shyer n. Etymology: 18th c.: orig. unkn.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Shy Shy, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Shied; p. pr. & vb. n. Shying.] [From Shy, a.] To start suddenly aside through fright or suspicion; -- said especially of horses.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Shy Shy, v. t. To throw sidewise with a jerk; to fling; as, to shy a stone; to shy a slipper. --T. Hughes.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Shy Shy, n. 1. A sudden start aside, as by a horse. 2. A side throw; a throw; a fling. --Thackeray. If Lord Brougham gets a stone in his hand, he must, it seems, have a shy at somebody. --Punch.

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.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Shy Shy, a. Inadequately supplied; short; lacking; as, the team is shy two players. [Slang]

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(shyer, shyest, shies, shying, shied) 1. A shy person is nervous and uncomfortable in the company of other people. She was a shy and retiring person off-stage... He is painfully shy of women. ADJ • shyly The children smiled shyly. ADV: usu ADV with v • shyness Eventually he overcame his shyness. N-UNCOUNT 2. If you are shy of doing something, you are unwilling to do it because you are afraid of what might happen. You should not be shy of having your say in the running of the school. ADJ: oft ADJ of -ing 3. When a horse shies, it moves away suddenly, because something has frightened it. Llewelyn's stallion shied as the wind sent sparks flying. VERB: V 4. A number or amount that is just shy of another number or amount is just under it. ...a high-school dropout rate just shy of 53%... = short of PREP-PHRASE

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. a. 1. Timid. 2. Coy, -reserved, diffident, timid, retiring, shrinking. 3. Cautious, wary, heedful, chary. 4. Suspicious, jealous. II. n. 1. Sudden start (as of a horse). 2. (Colloq.) Fling, throw. III. v. a. Fling, throw, jerk, cast, toss, flirt, hurl, chuck, pitch, sling (colloq.). IV. v. n. Sheer, start aside.

Moby Thesaurus

Pyrrhonic, about the bush, afraid, agnostic, apprehensive, around the bush, arrested, averse, avert, avoid, back down, backhanded, backward, balance, balk, bankrupt in, bare of, bashful, be startled, bear off, beat about, beat around, beg the question, bereft of, bicker, bilk, blench, blink, boggle, boggling, bowl, cagey, callow, cast, cast at, catapult, cautious, cavil, chary, choplogic, chuck, chuck at, chunk, circumspect, confused, conscious, cowardly, coy, cringe, dart, dash, debate, defective, deficient, deliberate, demur, demure, demurring, denuded of, deprived of, destitute of, devoid of, diffident, distrustful, dodge, double, doubtful, doubting, draw aside, draw back, draw in, dubious, duck, ease off, edge off, elude, embryonic, empty of, equivocate, eschew, evade, evade the issue, fade, failing, fall back, falter, faltering, fear, fearful, fearing, fearsome, fence, fight shy, fight shy of, fire, fire at, flinch, fling, fling at, flip, fly off, for want of, fork, forlorn of, from Missouri, gag, gee, glance, glance off, go off, goosy, hang back, hang off, have qualms, haw, head off, heave, heave at, hedge, hem and haw, hesitant, hesitate, hesitating, hold off, hover, hum and haw, hurl, hurl against, hurl at, hurtle, hypoplastic, immature, in arrear, in arrears, in default, in default of, in doubt, in fear, in short supply, in want of, inadequate, inarticulate, incomplete, indisposed, infant, insufficient, introversive, introvert, introverted, jerk, jib, jump, jump a mile, jumpy, lacking, lance, launch, leery, let fly, let fly at, loath, lob, make bones about, make way for, missing, mistrustful, mistrusting, modest, mousy, move aside, mystify, needing, nervous, nitpick, obscure, out of, out of pocket, palter, panic, parry, part, partial, pass, patchy, pause, peg, pelt, pick nits, pitch, pitchfork, ponder, pot, prevaricate, pull away, pull back, pull in, pull out, pussyfoot, put, put off, put the shot, quail, qualmish, questioning, quibble, rabbity, recoil, reel back, reluctant, reserved, retiring, retract, retreat, scant, scant of, scanty, scarce, scary, scrappy, scruple, scrupulous, self-conscious, self-distrustful, self-effacing, serve, shaky, shamefaced, shamefast, sheepish, sheer off, shift, shift off, shilly-shally, shivery, short, short of, shove aside, shrink, shrink back, shrinking, shuffle, shun, shunt, shy at, shy away, shy of, shy off, side, sidestep, sideswipe, sidetrack, sidle, skedaddle, skeptical, sketchy, skittery, skittish, sling, sling at, snap, split hairs, squeamish, stammering, stampede, start, start aside, start back, startle, startlish, steer clear of, step aside, stick, stick at, stickle, stickling, stop to consider, straddle the fence, strain, strain at, stumble, suspecting, suspicious, swerve, switch, tergiversate, think twice about, throw, throw at, tilt, timid, timorous, toss, toss at, trembling, tremulous, trepidant, trigger-happy, turn aside, turn away, turn back, unassertive, unassured, unblessed with, uncertain, underdeveloped, undeveloped, uneager, unpossessed of, untrusting, unwilling, veer off, void of, wanting, ward off, wary, waver, weasel, weasel out, wince, withdraw, yield