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as in withdrawn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
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
Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 22 Apr. 2026
The snakes are typically shy around bigger animals and instead feed on mice and other rodents.
—Don Sweeney
april 21, Sacbee.com, 21 Apr. 2026
Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026
While some tech leaders shy away from admitting their job cuts are related to AI, Block CEO Jack Dorsey pointed to the advanced tech in cutting 40% of his staffers.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 17 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shy
Adjective
Negotiations for Mbiya’s return went down to the 11th hour, with Mbiya’s representation suggesting KU was 30% shy of their asking price as of Tuesday evening.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 22 Apr. 2026
The snakes are typically shy around bigger animals and instead feed on mice and other rodents.
—Don Sweeney
april 21, Sacbee.com, 21 Apr. 2026
Verb
The pair didn't shy away from PDA in the YouTube video, dining out at multiple restaurants, revisiting the scene of Jonas' 18th birthday celebrations and taking a dip in a waterfall.
—Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026
While some tech leaders shy away from admitting their job cuts are related to AI, Block CEO Jack Dorsey pointed to the advanced tech in cutting 40% of his staffers.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 17 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shy
Adjective
-
And also the anticipatory obedience by a lot of these news organizations who are more timid.—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
22 Apr. 2026
-
The film follows Colin (Harry Melling), a timid man who is swept off of his feet by Ray (Alexander Skarsgård), an impossibly handsome biker, who takes him on as his submissive.—
Diana Lodderhose,
Deadline,
20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Parents report that many children stop eating, lose weight and become withdrawn.—
Mike Hixenbaugh,
NBC news,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Along the way, Babilonia matured from the shy withdrawn child who refused to hold a boy’s hand into a bold, strong and confident woman.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
If your yard is a bit lacking in colorful birds, adding a feeder can help attract all sorts of them.—
Brittany VanDerBill,
Better Homes & Gardens,
14 Apr. 2026
-
But the upper frequencies are still slightly lacking.—
Mark Knapp,
PC Magazine,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Last week, when he was asked about the high ticket prices for the Knicks’ first-round playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks, Mamdani jokingly pointed to a notorious New York sports villain.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
21 Apr. 2026
-
The intersection is part of a notorious traffic bottleneck that can delay westbound rush hour motorists 15 minutes a day or more, but the house stands slightly above the road and drivers in heavy stop-and-go congestion rarely seem to notice it.—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
While Western private equity might flinch at short-term volatility, Gulf funds are designed to absorb shocks and hold conviction assets through disruption.—
Winston Ma,
semafor.com,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Hutson did not flinch and impacted the game both offensively and defensively, despite being kept off the scoresheet.—
Arpon Basu,
New York Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The bashful display marks rock-bottom for Gabbard’s career.—
Aidan McLaughlin,
Vanity Fair,
19 Mar. 2026
-
Meanwhile, some of Brady’s former teammates with the Patriots weren’t bashful about their loyalty heading into Super Bowl LX between the Patriots and Seattle Seahawks, including Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
But just who is getting hurt from charging low prices?—
Stephen Moore,
Boston Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Isaacman is well suited for leading the space agency during the rise of the commercial space industry, with its large potential profits and much lower launch costs because of reusable rockets.—
Thomas Black,
Mercury News,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Almost 15 years have passed since Milan Lucic blew up goalie Ryan Miller on Garden ice, an infamous hit that would help send the Buffalo Sabres into their Dark Ages.—
Stephen Conroy,
Hartford Courant,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Even the infamous moment when Frank dispatches Eddie (Harvey Guillén) with a chainsaw lands more like a gag than a shock.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shy. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
