Thesaurus
shy
Synonyms and Antonyms of shy
- a shy cat who hid under the bed every time she heard any loud noise
chicken, chickenhearted, chicken-livered, cowardly, craven, dastardly, gutless, lily-livered, milk-livered [archaic], poltroon, pusillanimous, spineless, unheroic, yellow
anxious, apprehensive, nervous
afraid, alarmed, horrified, panicked, panicky, panic-stricken, scared, shocked, spooked, startled, terrified, terrorized, unnerved
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
- a shy person who finds talking to anyone but a close friend to be an awkward and unpleasant experience
boon, clubbable (also clubable), companionable, convivial, gregarious, sociable, social
extroverted (also extraverted), immodest, outgoing
- the team is shy a couple of players because of illness
abundant, ample, bounteous, bountiful, copious, generous, liberal, plenteous, plentiful, plentitudinous
enlarged, expanded, supplemented
abounding, overflowing, teeming
big, considerable, hefty, jumbo, king-size (or king-sized), large, largish, oversize (or oversized), sizable (or sizeable), substantial, super
- she was nervous about being left alone in a shy bar in a bad section of town
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
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
Synonym Discussion of shy
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- shy with strangers
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- a bashful boy out on his first date
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- felt diffident about raising an objection
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- modest about her success
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- put off by her coy manner
Learn More about shy
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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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