Thesaurus

shy

adjective

Synonyms and Antonyms of shy

1 easily frightened

a shy cat who hid under the bed every time she heard any loud noise

Synonyms of shy

fainthearted, fearful, fearsome, mousy (or mousey), scary, skittish, timid, timorous, tremulous

Words Related to shy

chicken, chickenhearted, chicken-livered, cowardly, craven, dastardly, gutless, lily-livered, milk-livered [archaic], poltroon, pusillanimous, spineless, unheroic, yellow

jittery, jumpy, spooky

anxious, apprehensive, nervous

afraid, alarmed, horrified, panicked, panicky, panic-stricken, scared, shocked, spooked, startled, terrified, terrorized, unnerved

Near Antonyms of shy

brave, courageous, dauntless, doughty, fearless, gallant, greathearted, heroic (also heroical), intrepid, lionhearted, stalwart, stout, stouthearted, undaunted, valiant, valorous

assured, confident, self-assured, self-confident

determined, firm, game, plucky, resolute, undeterred, unflinching, unswerving

mettlesome, spirited, spunky

Antonyms of shy

adventuresome, adventurous, audacious, bold, daring, dashing, gutsy, hardy, venturesome, venturous

2 not comfortable around people

a shy person who finds talking to anyone but a close friend to be an awkward and unpleasant experience

Synonyms of shy

backward, bashful, coy, demure, diffident, introverted, modest, recessive, retiring, self-effacing, sheepish, withdrawn

Words Related to shy

antisocial, lone, lone-wolf, unsociable, unsocial

awkward, embarrassed, self-conscious, unadventurous, unassertive, unenterprising

inhibited, reserved, uneasy, uptight

Near Antonyms of shy

boon, clubbable (also clubable), companionable, convivial, gregarious, sociable, social

bold, dashing, forceful

brash, forward, overbold, uninhibited, unreserved

Antonyms of shy

extroverted (also extraverted), immodest, outgoing

3 not coming up to an expected measure or meeting a particular need

the team is shy a couple of players because of illness

Synonyms of shy

deficient, inadequate, insufficient, lacking, low, scarce, short, wanting

Words Related to shy

substandard, unacceptable, unsatisfactory

hand-to-mouth, lean, light, meager (or meagre), niggardly, poor, scant, scanty, skimp, skimpy, slender, slim, spare, sparse, stingy

bare, mere, minimum

Near Antonyms of shy

abundant, ample, bounteous, bountiful, copious, generous, liberal, plenteous, plentiful, plentitudinous

enlarged, expanded, supplemented

abounding, overflowing, teeming

satisfactory, tolerable

lavish, luxuriant, rich

big, considerable, hefty, jumbo, king-size (or king-sized), large, largish, oversize (or oversized), sizable (or sizeable), substantial, super

Antonyms of shy

adequate, enough, sufficient

4 not respectable

she was nervous about being left alone in a shy bar in a bad section of town

Synonyms of shy

discreditable, disgraceful, dishonorable, disreputable, ignominious, infamous, louche, notorious, opprobrious, shady, shameful, shoddy, unrespectable

Words Related to shy

bad, criminal, immoral, seamy, sordid, unethical, unsavory, wicked

base, contemptible, despicable, detestable, dirty, low, mean, miserable, vile, wretched

black, evil, iniquitous, nefarious, rotten, sinful, unrighteous, vicious, villainous, wrong

blamable, blameworthy, censurable, inglorious, reprehensible

corrupt, debased, debauched, degenerate, depraved, dissolute, gamy (or gamey), libertine, loose, perverted, reprobate

Near Antonyms of shy

decent, ethical, good, honest, just, moral, noble, principled, righteous, upright, upstanding

esteemed, prestigious, reputed, respected

authorized, legal, licensed, permissible, permitted

approved, endorsed (also indorsed), sanctioned

clean, correct, decorous, exemplary, proper, seemly

blameless, commendable, creditable, guiltless

Antonyms of shy

honorable, reputable, respectable

Synonym Discussion of shy

shy, bashful, diffident, modest, coy mean not inclined to be forward. shy implies a timid reserve and a shrinking from familiarity or contact with others.

- shy with strangers

bashful implies a frightened or hesitant shyness characteristic of childhood and adolescence.

- a bashful boy out on his first date

diffident stresses a distrust of one's own ability or opinion that causes hesitation in acting or speaking.

- felt diffident about raising an objection

modest suggests absence of undue confidence or conceit.

- modest about her success

coy implies a pretended shyness.

- put off by her coy manner

Learn More about shy

Dictionary: Definition of shy Spanish Central: Translation of shy Nglish: Translation of shy for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of shy for Arabic speakers

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