as in wary
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Recent Examples of gun-shy
Underneath the puns and pumps was a dress-down of the rom-com that ultimately told the story of a woman who fell in love, came out worse, and became gun-shy.
—
Mathew Rodriguez, Them., 30 May 2025
Major studios have grown gun-shy about funding anything remotely risky; even a risk well taken can prompt a knee-jerk, scornful reaction from not only the executives but also the press: The film could, even should, have done better.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 25 Apr. 2025
Nintendo has been famously gun-shy of live-action adaptations — or adaptations in general — after the abysmal 1993 Super Mario Bros. film tanked.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 28 Mar. 2025
But that ending has yet to be printed: in a documentary climate in which corporations are growing increasingly gun-shy, The Stringer does not yet have a distributor.
—Steven Zeitchik, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Jan. 2025
Harris dropped out of the 2020 presidential race early (followed later by her fellow female candidates, senators Amy Klobuchar and Elizabeth Warren), and some pundits speculated that Democratic primary voters were gun-shy of nominating another woman after Hillary Clinton’s loss in 2016.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 21 July 2024
The Price of Entry Apart from elevated risks, there are several other reasons why international firms are likely to remain gun-shy about India.
—Arvind Subramanian, Foreign Affairs, 9 Dec. 2022
Digital transformation made employers more selective and gun-shy about entry-level hiring, but generative AI will take it to a new level.
—Ryan Craig, Forbes, 21 Apr. 2023
Mathew Rodriguez, Them., 30 May 2025
Major studios have grown gun-shy about funding anything remotely risky; even a risk well taken can prompt a knee-jerk, scornful reaction from not only the executives but also the press: The film could, even should, have done better.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 25 Apr. 2025
Nintendo has been famously gun-shy of live-action adaptations — or adaptations in general — after the abysmal 1993 Super Mario Bros. film tanked.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 28 Mar. 2025
But that ending has yet to be printed: in a documentary climate in which corporations are growing increasingly gun-shy, The Stringer does not yet have a distributor.
—Steven Zeitchik, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Jan. 2025
Harris dropped out of the 2020 presidential race early (followed later by her fellow female candidates, senators Amy Klobuchar and Elizabeth Warren), and some pundits speculated that Democratic primary voters were gun-shy of nominating another woman after Hillary Clinton’s loss in 2016.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 21 July 2024
The Price of Entry Apart from elevated risks, there are several other reasons why international firms are likely to remain gun-shy about India.
—Arvind Subramanian, Foreign Affairs, 9 Dec. 2022
Digital transformation made employers more selective and gun-shy about entry-level hiring, but generative AI will take it to a new level.
—Ryan Craig, Forbes, 21 Apr. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gun-shy
Adjective
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But for investors who are wary of the susceptibility of Argos’s sales to the unpredictable nature of the weather, the team is ramping up its efforts to expand its products to include stockless ranges.—
John Choong,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
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Be wary of mailbox communications: Bad actors may also try to scam you through snail mail.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
28 June 2025
Adjective
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But these aren’t normal times, and a scattering of headwinds on the horizon have made Federal Reserve officials leery of easing monetary policy for fear that the inflation fight isn’t over.—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
11 June 2025
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In 2017, during his first term, Trump wanted to hold a military parade, but Pentagon officials were leery of appearing to politicize the armed forces.—
Tom Vanden Brook,
USA Today,
13 June 2025
Adjective
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The prospect of higher inflation even as present data looks mild has led to a staredown between the Fed, which has advocated for a cautious approach on cutting interest rates in case tariffs do worsen inflation, and Trump, who has aggressively called for big cuts.—
Derek Saul,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2025
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Fire officials warn the public to be cautious and clean up debris around homes as the warmer months bring out more rattlesnakes.—
Helena Wegner,
Sacbee.com,
26 June 2025
Adjective
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If allowed, Andrew will likely bring further reputational damage to the monarchy at a time when the royal ship needs a careful steer.—
Stephanie Nolasco , Ashley Papa,
FOXNews.com,
1 July 2025
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In reality, Israel overpowered Iran’s military and outwitted its intelligence with stunning efficiency, demonstrating years, if not decades, of careful preparation in under two weeks.—
Paul Iddon,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
Adjective
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Some employees are skeptical of the AI, especially following a Bloomberg report in January that predicted up to 200,000 jobs on Wall Street could be at risk within five years due to technologies like AI.—
Chris Morris,
Fortune,
24 June 2025
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But some, including former Charlotte Mayor Pro Tem Braxton Winston, remain skeptical about whether the current bill will lay the groundwork for a successful regional system.—
Mary Ramsey,
Charlotte Observer,
23 June 2025
Adjective
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Most residents are already distrustful of Netanyahu’s handling of the war in Gaza, which has devastated the Palestinian enclave and its two million residents.—
Ruth Margalit,
New Yorker,
13 June 2025
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Several students said their affiliation drew hate speech from strangers and distrustful questions from family members and employers.—
Stephanie Yang,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2025
Adjective
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The official synopsis for the season, as per Hulu, reads: Glamorous singles live in a beautiful villa under the watchful gaze of the audience at home, who have the power to decide who stays and who goes.—
Billie Melissa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 June 2025
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Though the maneuver took place under the watchful gaze of ground control, the satellites aligned and maintained their relative positions, down to a single millimeter, autonomously.—
Margherita Bassi,
Smithsonian Magazine,
17 June 2025
Adjective
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Goldman downgraded the Club stock to hold from buy, saying this is now a show-me story.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
30 Apr. 2025
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For various examples and further detailed indications about the nature and use of the show-me versus tell-me prompting strategy, see my coverage at the link here.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gun-shy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gun-shy. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
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