gun-shy
[ guhn-shahy ]
adjective
frightened by the sound of a gunshot: a gun-shy bird dog.
hesitant, wary, or distrustful, especially because of previous unpleasant experience.
Origin of gun-shy
1First recorded in 1880–85
Other words from gun-shy
- gun-shyness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use gun-shy in a sentence
He's been gunshy about this subject over these last five years.
Obama and Inequality (and Clinton): A Long-Term Project | Michael Tomasky | December 4, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
British Dictionary definitions for gun-shy
gun-shy
adjective
afraid of a gun or the sound it makes: a gun-shy dog is useless for shooting
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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