1
as in timid
easily frightened
a shy cat who hid under the bed every time she heard any loud noise
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in withdrawn
not comfortable around people
a shy person who finds talking to anyone but a close friend to be an awkward and unpleasant experience
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in lacking
not coming up to an expected measure or meeting a particular need
the team is shy a couple of players because of illness
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in notorious
not respectable
she was nervous about being left alone in a shy bar in a bad section of town
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Try This Instead
Try This InsteadFor
Try This
a shy person
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of shy
Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 25 June 2025
Brazilian clubs haven’t shied away from the bright lights of the Club World Cup.
—Liam Twomey, New York Times, 20 June 2025
Josh Dinner, Space.com, 25 June 2025
Understanding how shy Jones was, Morrison joined her for interviews and used her own literary capital (Sula had recently appeared to acclaim) to advocate for her work.
—Clint Smith, The Atlantic, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for shy
Adjective
And yet, the couple don’t shy away from tougher topics, including the backlash Nelly received after agreeing to perform at the Liberty Ball for Donald Trump in January 2025 and Ashanti’s tumultuous relationship with music executive Irv Gotti who died in February at the age of 54.
—Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 25 June 2025
Brazilian clubs haven’t shied away from the bright lights of the Club World Cup.
—Liam Twomey, New York Times, 20 June 2025
Verb
That number is currently counting upward from 675, and will reach just shy of 400 by the time the two-week Ax-4 mission returns to Earth.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 25 June 2025
Understanding how shy Jones was, Morrison joined her for interviews and used her own literary capital (Sula had recently appeared to acclaim) to advocate for her work.
—Clint Smith, The Atlantic, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for shy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shy
Adjective
-
Otherwise, they are destined to be remembered as useless and timid wimps as the U.S. was slouching toward a dictatorship.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
24 June 2025
-
If the cat remains frightened and timid, talk to your vet about medications that might help.—
Joan Morris,
Mercury News,
23 June 2025
Adjective
-
Often, people that indulge in this type of culture are considered anti-social or withdrawn, a stereotype that has been passed around for years.—
Dominick Williams,
Kansas City Star,
26 June 2025
-
People become irritable, withdrawn, or hyper-independent.—
Barnaby Lashbrooke,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
Adjective
-
The singer, who’s notorious for being open and candid, shared that Ozempic was a part of her weight loss journey while on the Just Trish podcast.—
Elizabeth Ayoola,
Essence,
20 June 2025
-
Physiologically, these states of bodily outpourings are of course quite self-explanatory, given all the melting, leaking, sweating, salivating and squirting the Sapphic body is notorious for in the art of Sapphics of all genders throughout history.—
Siouxzi Connor
June 20,
Literary Hub,
20 June 2025
Verb
-
Given his winning streak, nobody would’ve flinched if Lamar framed his portion of the event as a celebration.—
Bob Gendron,
Chicago Tribune,
7 June 2025
-
But, when Wayne and Bryant’s names were called, neither flinched under the bright lights.—
Carl Lamarre,
Billboard,
6 June 2025
Adjective
-
But that hasn't stopped Chisholm, who is not bashful about adding chains and non-uniform colors to his look, from getting criticism.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
26 Mar. 2025
-
One time in particular, Fisher called him out for being a bit bashful about their Star Wars fame, Hamill recounted in a new interview on NPR's Fresh Air — like any good sister would.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
4 June 2025
Adjective
-
Al Bello/Getty Images Outside of the Giants' organization, expectations are low.—
Justin Grasso,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 June 2025
-
Does the Trump administration really want to sink that low?—
Louis Balsamo,
Baltimore Sun,
25 June 2025
Adjective
-
Hargitay, 61, was just 3 and survived the infamous 1967 car crash that killed Mansfield, but has no memory of her famous mom.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
27 June 2025
-
That’s what happened in Vermont, after an infamous Vermont Supreme Court decision in 1978.—
Betsy Z. Russell,
Idaho Statesman,
26 June 2025
Verb
-
Because of rising wage inequality, more and more earnings have become concentrated above this tax limit and the tax base for Social Security has shrunk as a result, as my colleagues and I already discussed about a decade ago.—
Christian Weller,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2025
-
That means that as intimate partner violence increases, the resources for women affected by it are shrinking.—
Alana Semuels,
Time,
17 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shy. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share