shy definition | Dictionary.com

shy

1 [shahy]

adjective, shy⋅er or shi⋅er, shy⋅est or shi⋅est, verb, shied, shy⋅ing, noun, plural shies.

–adjective

1.	bashful; retiring.

2.	easily frightened away; timid.

3.	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 scēoh; 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.

Antonyms:
1. forward. 2. trusting. 4. careless. 10. advance.

shy

2 [shahy]

verb, shied, shy⋅ing, noun, plural shies.

–verb (used with object), verb (used without object)

1.	to throw with a swift, sudden movement: to shy a stone.

–noun

2.	a quick, sudden throw.

Informal.

a.	a gibe or sneer.

a try.

Origin:
1780–90; orig. uncert.

Related forms:

shyer, noun

Synonyms:
1. toss, pitch, fling, cast, flip.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To shy

shy¹ (shī)

adj. shi·er (shī'ər) or shy·er, shi·est (shī'ĭst) or shy·est

Easily startled; timid.
1. Drawing back from contact or familiarity with others; retiring or reserved.
2. 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.

shy² (shī)

v.   shied (shīd), shy·ing, shies (shīz)

v.   tr.
To throw (something) with a swift motion; fling.
v.   intr.
To throw something with a swift motion.
n.   pl. shies (shīz)

A quick throw; a fling.
Informal A gibe; a sneer.
Informal An attempt; a try.

[Perhaps from shy¹.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

Shy

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

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.

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.

Shy

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

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.

Language Translation for : shy

Spanish: tímido, vergonzoso, reservado,

German: schüchtern,

Japanese: 内気な

More Translations »

shy (adj.)

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.

shy (v.)

"to throw with a jerk or toss," 1787, colloquial, of unknown origin and uncertain connection to shy (adj.).

shy

In addition to the idiom beginning with shy, also see bricks shy of a load; fight shy of; once bitten, twice shy.

Shy
Shy-Drager syndrome

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