shy

I. shy¹ /ʃaɪ/ BrE AmE adjective (comparative shyer, superlative shyest)
[Word Family: verb: ↑shy; noun: ↑shyness; adverb: ↑shyly; adjective: ↑shy]
[Language: Old English; Origin: sceoh]
1. nervous and embarrassed about meeting and speaking to other people, especially people you do not know:
He was a quiet shy man.
shy with
She was very shy with strangers.
a shy smile
As a teenager, I was painfully shy (=extremely shy).
shy to do something
He was too shy to come and sit by me in class.
go all shy British English (=to suddenly become very shy)
Oh, have you gone all shy, Jenny?
2. somebody is not shy about (doing) something used to emphasize that someone is very willing to do something or get involved with something:
John has strong opinions and he’s not shy about sharing them.
3. unwilling to do something or get involved in something
be shy about/of (doing) something
Employees are urged not to be shy about reporting incidents of sexual harassment.
4. be shy (of something) especially American English to have less than a particular amount of something:
The Democrats are three votes shy of a majority.
Jessica died Monday. She was one week shy of her 13th birthday.
5. used to say that someone does not like something and therefore tries to avoid it:
Although publicity-shy, he recently agreed to be interviewed. ⇨ ↑camera-shy, ↑work-shy
6. shy animals get frightened easily and are unwilling to come near people SYN timid:
Deer are shy creatures.
—shyly adverb:
He grinned shyly.
—shyness noun [uncountable]:
I overcame my shyness.
⇨ fight shy of (doing) something at ↑fight¹(22), ⇨ once bitten, twice shy at ↑bite¹(14)
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ bashful shy and not willing to say very much
▪ self-conscious worried and embarrassed about what you look like or what other people think of you
▪ timid not brave or confident
▪ reserved not liking to express your emotions or talk about your problems
▪ introverted thinking a lot about your own interests, problems etc, and not liking to be with other people
▪ withdrawn quiet and not wanting to talk to other people, especially because you are unhappy
▪ antisocial not liking to meet people and talk to them
▪ retiring formal not wanting to be with other people

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

shy

shy [shy shies shied shying shyer shyest] adjective, verb [ʃaɪ] [ʃaɪ]

adjective (shyer, shy·est)
1. (of people) nervous or embarrassed about meeting and speaking to other people
Syn: timid
• a quiet, shy man
• Don't be shy— come and say hello.
• She was too shy to ask anyone for help.
• As a teenager I was painfully shy.

• She's very shy with adults.

2. showing that sb is nervous or embarrassed about meeting and speaking to other people

• a shy smile

3. (of animals) easily frightened and not willing to come near people

• The panda is a shy creature.

4. not before noun ~ of/about (doing) sth afraid of doing sth or being involved in sth
• The band has never been shy of publicity.

• He disliked her and had never been shy of saying so.

5. not before noun ~ (of sth) (informal, especially NAmE) lacking the amount that is needed
• He died before Christmas, only a month shy of his 90th birthday.

• We are still two players shy (of a full team).

6. -shy (in compounds) avoiding or not liking the thing mentioned
• camera-shy (= not liking to be photographed)
• He's always been work-shy.
see fight shy of sth at fight _v., once bitten, twice shy at once _adv.
Word Origin:
Old English scēoh ‘(of a horse) easily frightened’, of Germanic origin; related to German scheuen ‘shun’, scheuchen ‘scare’; compare with eschew. The verb dates from the mid 17th cent.
Thesaurus:
shy adj.
• Don't be shy— come and say hello.
coy • • embarrassed • • awkward • • self-conscious • • introverted • • reserved • • inhibited • • insecure • |especially written timid • • diffident •
Opp: confident
shy/coy/embarrassed/awkward/self-conscious/inhibited/insecure/timid/diffident about sth
a/an shy/reserved/insecure/timid (young) man/woman/child
a/an shy/coy/embarrassed/self-conscious/diffident smile
Example Bank:
• He is a naturally shy, retiring man.
• I was a bit shy of them at first.
• Please don't be shy— I won't eat you!
• She was terribly shy around strangers.
• She went all shy and hid behind her mother.
• You don't have to be shy with me, you know.
• Don't be shy— come and say hello.
• He gave a shy little smile.
• She felt suddenly shy as the large crowd fell silent.
• She was a shy, retiring girl.
Derived Words: shyly ▪ shyness

Derived: shy away

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition

shy / ʃaɪ / adjective ( shyer , shyest ) (NERVOUS)

B1 nervous and uncomfortable with other people:

He was too shy to ask her to dance with him.

She gave a shy smile.

Children are often shy of/with people they don't know.

The deer were shy (= unwilling to be near people) and hid behind some trees.

Collins Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

shy

/ʃaɪ/
(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
• shy‧ly
The children smiled shyly.
ADV: usu ADV with v
• shy‧ness
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

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

¹shy /ˈʃaɪ/ adj shi·er or shy·er /ˈʃajɚ/; shi·est or shy·est /ˈʃajəst/ [also more ~; most ~]
1 a : feeling nervous and uncomfortable about meeting and talking to people
• a shy, quiet girl
• I was painfully shy as a teenager.
• She was too shy to ask for help.
b : showing that you are nervous and uncomfortable about meeting and talking to people
• her shy manner
• He gave her a shy smile.
2 : tending to avoid something because of nervousness, fear, dislike, etc.
• publicity shy
• camera shy
- often + of
• He was never shy of controversy.
3 : hesitant about taking what you want or need
• Help yourself if you want more. Don't be shy.
4 of an animal : easily frightened : timid
• animals that are nocturnal and shy
5 chiefly US : having less than a full or expected amount or number : short
• We were shy about 10 dollars.
- usually + of
• He was two weeks shy of his 19th birthday when he joined the army.
• The ball stopped just a few inches shy of the hole.
• He's three credits shy of his bachelor's degree.
fight shy of Brit : to try to avoid something
• She has always fought shy of publicity.
once bitten, twice shy
- see ¹bite
- shy·ly adv
• He answered/smiled shyly.
- shy·ness noun [noncount]