shy

adjective

ˈshī 

shier or shyer ˈshī(-ə)r  ; shiest or shyest ˈshī-əst 

1

: easily frightened : timid

2

: disposed to avoid a person or thing

publicity shy

3

: hesitant in committing oneself : circumspect

4

: sensitively diffident or retiring : reserved

also : expressive of such a state or nature

a shy smile

5

: secluded, hidden

6

: having less than the full or specified amount or number : short

just shy of six feet tall

7

dated : disreputable

A well-guarded youth is … not to be frequenting shy neighborhoods …

—Martha Everts Holden

shyly adverb

shyness noun

Synonyms of shy

• timid

Choose the Right Synonym for shy

shy, bashful, diffident, modest, coy mean not inclined to be forward.

shy implies a timid reserve and a shrinking from familiarity or contact with others.

shy with strangers

bashful implies a frightened or hesitant shyness characteristic of childhood and adolescence.

a bashful boy out on his first date

diffident stresses a distrust of one's own ability or opinion that causes hesitation in acting or speaking.

felt diffident about raising an objection

modest suggests absence of undue confidence or conceit.

modest about her success

coy implies a pretended shyness.

put off by her coy manner

Examples of shy in a Sentence

I was painfully shy as a teenager.

She was too shy to ask for help.

He gave her a shy smile.

Help yourself if you want more. Don't be shy.

Recent Examples on the Web

Petco — Shares of the pet retailer fell more than 4% after Petco's current-quarter forecast came in shy of Wall Street's expectations. —Darla Mercado, Cfp®,fred Imbert,lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 3 June 2026

Per Nielsen, the 1998 Bulls-Jazz series scared up just shy of 30 million viewers per night. —Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 3 June 2026

The crowd is all deep-pockets and haute couture, including fashion, tech, and media elites, press-shy billionaires, and ladies of leisure. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026

The employee inside, Tammy Jo Baker, was just a few weeks shy of her 63rd birthday, Sheriff Mike Chitwood said at the scene. —Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 2 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English schey, going back to Old English scēoh, going back to West Germanic *skeuh(w)a- (whence also Middle High German schiehe, schiech "timid, despondent," and, with alteration or variant ablaut, Middle Dutch scu, scouw "timid"), perhaps extended form of Indo-European *(s)keu̯(H)- "perceive, watch" — more at show entry 1

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing shy

• coconut shy
• fight shy of
• gun-shy
• once bitten, twice shy
• shy (away) from
• shy bladder
• shy bladder syndrome
• work-shy

Rhymes for shy

• ai
• aye
• bae
• bi
• buy
• by
• bye
• chai
• chi
• cry
• die
• dry

Kids Definition

shy

1 of 3 adjective

ˈshī 

shier or shyer ˈshī(-ə)r  ; shiest or shyest ˈshī-əst 

1

a

: easily frightened : timid

b

: not feeling comfortable around people : not wanting or able to call attention to oneself

2

: having less than a full or an expected amount or number

we were about ten dollars shy of our goal

shyly adverb

shyness noun

shy

2 of 3 verb

shied; shying

1

: to draw back in sudden dislike or distaste

shied from publicity

2

: to move quickly to one side in fright

the horse shied

shy

3 of 3 noun

plural shies

: a sudden move to one side