shy
shy — adjective
1. feeling nervous, uncomfortable, or lacking confidence when you are with other pe
feeling nervous, uncomfortable, or lacking confidence when you are with other people, especially people you do not know well.
Theo was too shy to ask his teacher for help with the math problem.
too + adjective + to-infinitive for inability due to shyness
As a shy child, Yuna often hid behind her mother when visitors arrived.
Baraka gave a shy smile when the audience started clapping for his piano recital.
Many people feel shy about speaking up in large meetings at work.
feel + adjective + about + gerund for describing discomfort
Diya's shy nature made it hard for her to make new friends at school.
- shy smile
- shy nature
- shy child
- shy with strangers
- too shy to speak
- feel shy about
- timid
suggests a more permanent lack of courage, not just social nervousness
- bashful
describes a cute, often blushing shyness, common in children
- reserved
implies deliberate control over showing feelings, not necessarily nervousness
- withdrawn
stronger and more negative; suggests someone has pulled away from social contact
Usage Note
Common after linking verbs (be, feel, seem) and before nouns (a shy smile, a shy girl). The prepositions 'with' and 'around' indicate who causes the shyness: 'shy with strangers', 'shy around new people.'
Common Mistakes
2. (of an animal) easily frightened and likely to stay away from people; timid by n
(of an animal) easily frightened and likely to stay away from people; timid by nature.
The wild rabbit was too shy to come out of the bushes while the children played nearby.
be + too + adjective + to-infinitive describing animal behaviour
Shy birds often hide in the treetops when hikers pass through the forest.
The new kitten at Linh's house is very shy and spends most of the day under the sofa.
During the safari, Tendai pointed out a shy deer drinking from the stream.
a + adjective + noun before animal names in observation contexts
- shy deer
- shy bird
- shy animal
- shy creature
- too shy to approach
Usage Note
Used primarily for wild or non-domesticated animals. For pets, 'timid' or 'scared' is more common in modern usage. Not used for insects or very small creatures.
Common Mistakes
3. hesitant or unwilling to become involved, do something, or accept something beca
hesitant or unwilling to become involved, do something, or accept something because of worry, lack of trust, or a previous bad experience.
Sofia was shy about sharing her opinions during the group discussion.
be + adjective + about + gerund for reluctance
The company has been shy of investing in new technology since the market crash.
Parents are often shy of criticising their children's teachers in front of them.
be + adjective + of + gerund expressing wariness
Élise felt shy about asking her boss for a pay raise even though she deserved one.
Once bitten, twice shy — Mauricio never lends money to friends after being cheated.
- shy of investing
- shy about asking
- shy of committing
- not shy about
- once bitten twice shy
Usage Note
Commonly followed by 'about + gerund' or 'of + noun/gerund'. The proverb 'once bitten, twice shy' is a fixed expression that captures this sense: after a bad experience, a person becomes cautious.
Common Mistakes
4. not reaching a particular number, amount, or level; lacking the full or required
not reaching a particular number, amount, or level; lacking the full or required quantity.
The charity is still shy of its fundraising goal by about five thousand dollars.
be + adjective + of + [amount] for shortfall
Her exam score was just shy of the passing grade by two points.
The temperature today is shy of the seasonal average by several degrees.
Nikhil was two signatures shy of the number needed for the petition.
quantity + adjective + of + [target] pattern
- shy of the goal
- shy of the target
- just shy of
- still shy of
- short of
more common in everyday English for any kind of shortage
- just under
informal and slightly less precise
- below
used when comparing to a standard or benchmark
Usage Note
Always followed by 'of' and a number, amount, or target. Cannot be used without a complement: 'The total is shy' is incomplete. Common in informal reporting of financial targets, scores, and measurements.
Common Mistakes
after a bad or unpleasant experience, you become careful to avoid a similar situation in the future.
Once bitten, twice shy — Mauricio never lends money to friends after being cheated.
She was once bitten twice shy about online dating after a terrible first date.
To avoid doing or accepting something because you feel nervous or uncertain about it.
Maya fights shy of public speaking, so she declined the invitation.
Why does Diego fight shy of asking for help when he needs it?
shy — verb
1. A horse shies when something frightens it and it moves abruptly sideways or back
A horse shies when something frightens it and it moves abruptly sideways or backwards.
The horse shied at the sudden noise of a car backfiring on the road.
shy + at + [cause of fright] for horses
As they rode through the field, Christopher's horse shied away from a snake in the grass.
shy + away from + [stimulus]
The young mare shied when a plastic bag flew across her path in the wind.
Riders need to stay calm and sit deep when their horse shies unexpectedly.
- shy at
- shy away from
- shy suddenly
- horse shies
Grammar Patterns
shy (at something)
Usage Note
Almost exclusively used for horses. Not used for human reactions. The preposition 'at' introduces the cause ('shy at a shadow'), and 'away from' describes the direction of the movement.
Common Mistakes
2. to throw something quickly, often with a sideways or jerking movement, especiall
to throw something quickly, often with a sideways or jerking movement, especially when in a hurry or aiming casually.
The fielder shied the ball to first base to catch the runner off guard.
shy + object + to + [target] in sports
João shied a pebble across the pond to see how many ripples it would create.
Nia shied her bag onto the passenger seat just as the train doors were closing.
The children shied small stones at the old tin can to practise their aim.
shy + object + at + [target] for casual throwing
- shy a ball
- shy a stone
- shy at a target
- shy onto
Grammar Patterns
shy + object + adverbial phrase
Usage Note
Informal and more common in British English. Often describes a quick, careless, or sideways throw rather than a careful, aimed one. The preposition 'at' indicates a target; 'to' indicates a recipient.
Common Mistakes
shy away from
phrasal verbto avoid doing or becoming involved in something because you feel nervous, uncertain, or lack confidence.
Nellie shied away from applying for the manager position because she doubted her skills.
The politician shied away from answering tough questions during the live interview.
shy — suffix
1. added after a noun to form an adjective describing a dislike for or tendency to
added after a noun to form an adjective describing a dislike for or tendency to stay away from the thing named.
Eri is very camera-shy and always hides when someone pulls out a phone to take a picture.
camera-shy: avoiding being photographed
Asher is work-shy and keeps finding excuses to leave the office before five o'clock.
The director is famously publicity-shy and almost never gives interviews to reporters.
publicity-shy: avoiding media attention
Some rescue dogs are people-shy at first and need patient handling to feel safe.
- camera-shy
- work-shy
- publicity-shy
- gun-shy
- people-shy
- -loving
showing fondness for the thing mentioned, e.g. 'camera-loving'
Grammar Patterns
noun + -shy
Usage Note
Attaches to nouns to form compound adjectives. Common combinations include 'camera-shy', 'work-shy', 'publicity-shy', 'gun-shy', and 'people-shy'. The hyphen is always required. These compounds are used before nouns or after linking verbs.
Common Mistakes
shy — noun
1. a quick throw or toss, often done carelessly or in a single sideways motion.
a quick throw or toss, often done carelessly or in a single sideways motion.
With a quick shy of the ball, the goalkeeper returned it to his teammate.
a + adjective + shy + of + object for describing a throw
Dario took a shy at the empty bottle with a small stone but missed by a few inches.
take a shy at + [target] — fixed collocation
The child's shy of the pebble landed right in the middle of the puddle.
His first shy at the target was off by several feet, but the second one hit the mark.
- take a shy at
- a shy of
- first shy
- quick shy
Grammar Patterns
take a shy at something
Usage Note
Rare in modern English. Most commonly appears in the fixed phrase 'take a shy at', which can also be used figuratively meaning 'to make a critical remark about someone or something'.
Common Mistakes
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: adjective/1
Shy is the most general word for feeling nervous or uncomfortable with people, especially in social situations. Timid suggests a deeper lack of courage and applies to both people and animals. Bashful describes a cute, often blushing shyness typical in children, carrying a warmer tone. Reserved means someone deliberately keeps their thoughts and feelings private — this can come from shyness but can also be a cultural trait. Introverted is a psychological term for people who gain energy from solitude rather than social interaction; importantly, not all introverts are shy, and not all shy people are introverts. Example: a bashful child might hide behind a parent, a reserved adult may politely decline to share personal opinions, and an introverted person might enjoy a party but need quiet time afterward.
Common collocations
Adverbs
- shyly
- painfully shy
- terribly shy
- extremely shy
- a little shy
- too shy
Phrases
- once bitten, twice shy
- fight shy of
- shy away from
Prepositions
- shy of
- shy about
- shy with
- shy around
Etymology
Shy comes from Old English 'sceoh', meaning 'timid' or 'easily frightened', related to Old High German 'sciuhen' ('to frighten away'). The adjective sense has been in use since before the 12th century. The verb sense 'to move suddenly from fear' (especially of horses) emerged in the 1600s, and the meaning 'to throw quickly' probably developed separately in the 1800s from a different root, possibly related to an old word for 'to shoot'. The suffix use (as in camera-shy) became common in the 1900s.