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.
–verb (used without object)
9.
(esp. of a horse) to start back or aside, as in fear.
10.
to draw back; recoil.
–noun
11.
a sudden start aside, as in fear.
—Idiom
12.
fight shy of, to keep away from; avoid: She fought shy of making the final decision.
[Origin: bef. 1000; late ME schey (adj.), early ME scheowe, OE scéoh; c. MHG schiech; akin to D schuw, G scheu;cf. eschew]
—Related forms
shyer, noun
shyly, adverb
shyness, noun
—Synonyms 1.Shy,bashful,diffident imply a manner that shows discomfort or lack of confidence in association with others. Shy implies a constitutional shrinking from contact or close association with others, together with a wish to escape notice: shy and retiring. Bashful suggests timidity about meeting others, and trepidation and awkward behavior when brought into prominence or notice: a bashful child. Diffident emphasizes self-distrust, fear of censure, failure, etc., and a hesitant, tentative manner as a consequence: a diffident approach to a touchy subject. 4. heedful, cautious, chary. 10. shrink.
Drawing back from contact or familiarity with others; retiring or reserved.
Marked by reserve or diffidence: a shy glance.
Distrustful; wary: shy of strangers.
Not having paid an amount due, as one's ante in poker.
Short; lacking: Eleven is one shy of a dozen.
intr.v.
shied (shīd), shy·ing, shies (shīz)
To move suddenly, as if startled; start.
To draw back, as from fear or caution; recoil.
n.
pl.shies (shīz)
A sudden movement, as from fright; a start.
[Middle English schey, from Old English scēoh.]
shy'er n., shy'ly adv., shy'ness n.
Synonyms: These adjectives mean not forward but marked by a retiring nature, reticence, or a reserve of manner. One who is shy draws back from others, either because of a withdrawn nature or out of timidity: "The poor man was shy and hated society" (George Bernard Shaw).
Bashful suggests self-consciousness or awkwardness in the presence of others: "I never laughed, being bashful./Lowering my head, I looked at the wall" (Ezra Pound).
Diffident implies lack of self-confidence: He was too diffident to express his opinion. Modest is associated with an unassertive nature and absence of vanity or pretension: Despite her fame she remained a modest, unassuming person. Coy usually implies feigned, often flirtatious shyness: "yielded with coy submission" (John Milton).
Demure often denotes an affected shyness or modesty: Her assistant nodded in agreement, flashing a demure smile.
late O.E. sceoh "shy," from P.Gmc. *skeukh(w)az "afraid" (cf. M.L.G. schüwe, Du. schuw, Ger. scheu "shy;" O.H.G. sciuhen, Ger. scheuchen "to scare away"). Uncertain cognates outside Gmc., unless in O.C.S. scuti "to hunt, incite." It. schivare "to avoid" is a Gmc. loan-word. The verb meaning "to recoil" first recorded 1650.
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] [ant: confident]
2.
short; "eleven is one shy of a dozen"
3.
wary and distrustful; disposed to avoid persons or things; "shy of strangers"
noun
1.
a quick throw; "he gave the ball a shy to the first baseman"
Es*chew"\ (es*ch[udd]"), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Eshewed (-ch[udd]"d); p. pr. & vb. n. Eshewing.] [OF. eschever, eschiver, eskiver, F. esquiver, fr. OHG. sciuhen, G. scheuen; akin to E. sky. See Shy, a.]1. To shun; to avoid, as something wrong, or from a feeling of distaste; to keep one's self clear of. They must not only eschew evil, but do good. --Bp. Beveridge. 2. To escape from; to avoid. [Obs.] He who obeys, destruction shall eschew. --Sandys.
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.
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Audio Help [shahy] Pronunciation Key adjective, shy·er or shi·er, shy·est or shi·est, verb, shied, shy·ing, noun, plural shies. 
