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Recent Examples of gun-shy
City staff members and officials remain a little gun-shy, Hazeltine said.
—
Susan Gill Vardon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Dec. 2025
The pressure from both the U.S. and China has seemingly made Panama more gun-shy about those ports shifting hands, with numerous officials putting CK Hutchison’s partnership with the Panamanian government under scrutiny.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 13 Aug. 2025
The writers gave The X-Files an award back in 1996 when the overall Academy was gun-shy about voting for it in Outstanding Drama.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 2 Aug. 2025
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
Susan Gill Vardon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Dec. 2025
The pressure from both the U.S. and China has seemingly made Panama more gun-shy about those ports shifting hands, with numerous officials putting CK Hutchison’s partnership with the Panamanian government under scrutiny.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 13 Aug. 2025
The writers gave The X-Files an award back in 1996 when the overall Academy was gun-shy about voting for it in Outstanding Drama.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 2 Aug. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gun-shy
Adjective
-
Flick was wary of the youngster experiencing a setback, given recent cases involving other young players and preferred to bring him back gradually.—
Laia Cervelló Herrero,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
-
While the singer recently said viewers do not need to learn Spanish to enjoy the show and only need to dance, some viewers are still wary of tuning in.—
Kate Perez,
USA Today,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Democrats on the Assembly Judiciary Committee spiked a proposal to cap rent increases last month amid opposition from landlord groups and lawmakers who were leery of interfering with the rental-housing market.—
CalMatters,
Oc Register,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Where Manteris is leery of the era of DraftKings, Walters believes that PASPA’s fall has fuelled job creation, generated tax revenue, and minimized the criminal element in sports gambling.—
Dan Piepenbring,
New Yorker,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Be cautious about taking on new debt that assumes your current income is guaranteed.—
Matt Shumer,
Fortune,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Connecticut education leaders are expressing cautious optimism as the state Department of Education tries its hand at course development.—
Theo Peck-Suzuki,
Hartford Courant,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
But turning this moment into lasting advantage will require careful planning, not just short-term opportunism.—
Yinka Adegoke,
semafor.com,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Be careful when handling debris that may have blown into your yard.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Cruz, who was skeptical of having the subsidy administered by police, said neither Noecker nor Bowie alerted him about Wednesday’s public hearing despite his outreach to both members.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Kates said users should be skeptical of anything that sounds too easy or too good to be true.—
Joshua Sidorowicz,
CBS News,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The man lusting for power is always active, the center of the show, relentless, vigilant, distrustful, restless when anything stands in his way.—
David Brooks,
Mercury News,
24 Jan. 2026
-
Without this foundation, future clinicians will struggle to explain changing recommendations to patients who are already confused and distrustful.—
Krutika Kuppalli,
STAT,
12 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
But that doesn’t mean there won’t be any adjustment in how its firms proceed there in the face of a more watchful US.—
Simone McCarthy,
CNN Money,
31 Jan. 2026
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For over two decades, efforts to lift the Oakland Police Department out from under the watchful eye of a federal judge have fallen short.—
Shomik Mukherjee,
Mercury News,
31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
He was signed last summer to a one-year show-me contract worth $900,000 per season.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
18 Nov. 2025
-
Though there were some reasons for optimism in Kohl’s report on Wednesday—comparable sales were unchanged in July—the Kohl’s saga remains a show-me story.—
Phil Wahba,
Fortune,
27 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gun-shy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gun-shy. Accessed 13 Feb. 2026.
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