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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
-
Hamilton, wary of France’s descent into chaos and its aggressive wars, contended that treaties are contracts with specific regimes, not eternal bonds irrespective of change.—
Daniel Ross Goodman,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Jan. 2026
-
As measles outbreaks flared up across the US last year, causing a record number of cases, Scott Thorpe kept a wary eye on Spartanburg County, South Carolina.—
Deidre McPhillips,
CNN Money,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
In a 2024 business profile in the Naperville Sun, Mowry was leery of the impact construction work downtown would have on business.—
Steve Metsch,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Jan. 2026
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Consumers should also be leery of online ads, sponsored search results or links posted on social media, the lawmakers warned.—
Megan Cerullo,
CBS News,
17 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
This is a major step forward in Japan’s long and cautious return to nuclear power and comes as the country braces for tight electricity supplies ahead of the summer peak.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Jan. 2026
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However, China is likely to stick with a cautious approach to its monetary policy, with banks expected to prioritize higher-quality borrowers over chasing loan growth — a stance Fitch said should help keep asset quality broadly stable.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Drivers were advised to be careful in the snow, as there were problems on area roadways.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
25 Jan. 2026
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Publicly, both leaders had maintained careful language about Syria’s transition, emphasizing concerns for minority rights, human rights standards, and the need for inclusive governance.—
Güney Yıldız,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The Guardian also reported that Secretary of State and National Security Adviser Marco Rubio, initially skeptical about engaging with senior figures from Maduro’s inner circle, came to see Rodríguez’s assurances as a potential way to prevent instability following Maduro’s removal.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
23 Jan. 2026
-
The women are very skeptical of Amanda.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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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
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Markel became increasingly distrustful of Donna Adelson due to her desire to move the children away from him, even filing a motion to prevent her from having unsupervised visits with the children in 2014.—
Mason Leath,
ABC News,
2 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
This network, which has grown since the summer, keeps a watchful eye.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
24 Jan. 2026
-
Keep a watchful eye on the vehicle’s tires.—
Jim Gorzelany,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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He was signed last summer to a one-year show-me contract worth $900,000 per season.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
18 Nov. 2025
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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 28 Jan. 2026.
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