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shying

verb

present participle of shy
as in flinching

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shying
  1. flinching
  2. recoiling
  3. wincing
  4. shrinking
Verb
  • In my experience, automation becomes commercially viable not when failures disappear, but when the system is built to handle them without flinching.
    — Shivansh Inamdar, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Amy Adams’ Anna Bowden — who has a complicated history with Max as his former lawyer — peeks through the curtain to spy on him, flinching as Max insists on snapping his own broken finger into place.
    — Benjamin VanHoose, PEOPLE, 6 July 2026
Definition of flinching
Verb
  • All of these features make for a wonderfully light-recoiling shotgun.
    — Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 12 Aug. 2026
  • This is typical of Hacks, a series that constantly positions itself to do something emotionally dangerous before recoiling toward a safer version of it.
    — Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 29 May 2026
Definition of recoiling
Verb
  • Driver Danya Lloyd-Santiago says her wallet is wincing this Labor Day, while filling up her tank for her commute.
    — Darius Johnson, CBS News, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Otherwise, Makar will be wincing through pain trying to explain the unfathomable, Blackwood will be dropping F-bombs in disbelief and MacKinnon will be ducking reporters despite being the team’s best player.
    — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 11 June 2026
Definition of wincing
Verb
  • The central region keeps shrinking, concentrating motion into an increasingly small area.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 8 Sep. 2026
  • That safety net is gone, and the margin for error is shrinking with it.
    — Richard McSweeney, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of shrinking
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.

Browse Nearby Words

shy (from or away from)
shying
shying (from or away from)
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Cite this Entry

“Shying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shying. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

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