shy

Meaning

Adj

1. Easily frightened; timid.
2. Reserved; disinclined to familiar approach.
3. Cautious; wary; suspicious.
4. (informal) Short, insufficient or less than.
5. Embarrassed.

Verb

1. To avoid due to caution, embarrassment or timidness.
2. To jump back in fear.
3. To throw sideways with a jerk; to fling.
4. To throw a ball with two hands above the head, especially when it has crossed the side lines in a football (soccer) match.
5. To hit the ball back into play from the sidelines in a shinty match.

Noun

1. An act of throwing.
2. A place for throwing.
3. A sudden start aside, as by a horse.
4. In the Eton College wall game, a point scored by lifting the ball against the wall in the calx.
5. A throw-in from the sidelines, using two hands above the head.
6. In shinty, the act of tossing the ball above the head and hitting it with the shaft of the caman to bring it back into play after it has been hit out of the field.
7. A gibe; a sneer.

Synonyms

bashful

timid

ashamed

modest

coy

embarrassed

diffident

timorous

reserved

fearful

😨

shamefaced

afraid

self-conscious

retiring

throw

be ashamed

withdrawn

shame

reticent

fling

skittish

nervous

abashed

pusillanimous

unsociable

wild

reluctant

demure

indecisive

be bashful

sheepish

cowardly

flip

toss

pitch

cast

embarrass

faint-hearted

cautious

abash

startle

be diffident

anxious

unsure

hesitant

backward

irresolute

sullen

shameful

be modest

sky

aloof

mousey

very shy person

awkward

be abashed

shoot

fainthearted

short

hurl

demur

silent

🔇

shot

skew

dash

💨

shying

shyness

skim

skimpy

skulker

slam

squinch

surly

suspicious

taken aback

thrower

thrust

be reserved

tongue-tied

trembly

tremulous

trial

uncommunicative

unobtrusive

unsocial

unwilling

white livered

wimpy

yellow

chicken hearted

afraid of

be frightened

be shamed

be startled

be timid

blate

blushful

embarassed

feel awkward

harelipped

labour under a delusion

make shy

poor-spirited

shrink back

feel embarrassed

fear

😨

be awkward

be caught up in

not bold

rear back

sheep-faced

weak kneed

boggler

lily livered

become flustered

alarmed

bang

be embarrassed

be reluctant

blush

😊

blushing

bowl

chary

chuck

clap

👏

contracted

coward

crash

craven

dastardly

decent

defective

dish

distant

distrustful

embarass

flick

flinch

frightened

gloomy

go down

grumpy

gutless

hail

hesitate

humble

imperfect

inarticulate

inhibited

introverted

jerk

lacking

mealymouthed

moody

morose

mousy

niggling

pass

passing

pelt

person

🧑‍🦱

plunk

precipitate

project

quail

quiet

range

recoil

recoiling

restrained

riposte

roll

round

scared

self-contained

self-effacing

set

shamed

shrink

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ʃaɪ/

Etymology

From Middle English shy (“shy”), from Old English sċēoh (“shy”), from Proto-West Germanic *skeuh (“shy, fearful”), from Proto-Germanic *skeuhaz (“shy, fearful”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian skjou (“shy”), Dutch schuw (“shy”), German scheu (“shy”), Danish sky (“shy”).
Etymology tree
Middle English shy
English shy