gun-shy

[ guhn-shahy ]

adjective
  1. frightened by the sound of a gunshot: a gun-shy bird dog.

  2. hesitant, wary, or distrustful, especially because of previous unpleasant experience.

Origin of gun-shy

1
First 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

British Dictionary definitions for gun-shy

gun-shy

adjective
  1. 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