shy

shy¹

—shyer, n. —shyly, adv. —shyness, n.

/shuy/, adj., shyer or shier, shyest or shiest, v., shied, shying, n., pl. shies.

adj.

1. bashful; retiring.

2. easily frightened away; timid.

3. suspicious; distrustful: I am a bit shy of that sort of person.

4. reluctant; wary.

5. deficient: shy of funds.

6. scant; short of a full amount or number: still a few dollars shy of our goal; an inch shy of being six feet.

7. (in poker) indebted to the pot.

8. not bearing or breeding freely, as plants or animals.

9. fight shy of, to keep away from; avoid: She fought shy of making the final decision.

v.i.

10. (esp. of a horse) to start back or aside, as in fear.

11. to draw back; recoil.

n.

12. a sudden start aside, as in fear.

[bef. 1000; late ME schey (adj.), early ME scheowe, OE sceoh; c. MHG schiech; akin to D schuw, G scheu; cf. ESCHEW]

Syn. 1. SHY, BASHFUL, DIFFIDENT imply a manner that shows discomfort or lack of confidence in association with others. SHY implies a constitutional shrinking from contact or close association with others, together with a wish to escape notice: shy and retiring. BASHFUL suggests timidity about meeting others, and trepidation and awkward behavior when brought into prominence or notice: a bashful child. DIFFIDENT emphasizes self-distrust, fear of censure, failure, etc., and a hesitant, tentative manner as a consequence: a diffident approach to a touchy subject. 4. heedful, cautious, chary. 11. shrink.

Ant. 1. forward. 2. trusting. 4. careless. 11. advance.

shy²

—shyer, n.

/shuy/, v., shied, shying, n., pl. shies.

v.t., v.i.

1. to throw with a swift, sudden movement: to shy a stone.

n.

2. a quick, sudden throw.

3. Informal.

a. a gibe or sneer.

b. a try.

[1780-90; orig. uncert.]

Syn. 1. toss, pitch, fling, cast, flip.

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