1
as in timid
easily frightened
a shy cat who hid under the bed every time she heard any loud noise
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in withdrawn
not comfortable around people
a shy person who finds talking to anyone but a close friend to be an awkward and unpleasant experience
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in lacking
not coming up to an expected measure or meeting a particular need
the team is shy a couple of players because of illness
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4
as in notorious
not respectable
she was nervous about being left alone in a shy bar in a bad section of town
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a shy person
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shy
Zach Sweet, Kansas City Star, 18 July 2025
Don’t shy away from bold statement lighting, even in a baby’s nursery.
—Nina Derwin, Architectural Digest, 18 July 2025
Guy Lodge, Variety, 19 July 2025
The average non-FBS opt-out has just shy of 6,000 students, whereas the average FCS or non-football D-I school that opted in has more than 7,800.
—Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 18 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for shy
Adjective
Here are the top takeaways. College Football Playoff format
Drinkwitz didn’t shy away from offering his thoughts on the evolving College Football Playoff, emphasizing that any format — 12, 14, or 16 teams — should prioritize the players and the fans.
—Zach Sweet, Kansas City Star, 18 July 2025
Don’t shy away from bold statement lighting, even in a baby’s nursery.
—Nina Derwin, Architectural Digest, 18 July 2025
Verb
There’s an evident shy attraction between the two, but the two men, both nearing 30, bond first and foremost over their mutual male pattern baldness.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 19 July 2025
The average non-FBS opt-out has just shy of 6,000 students, whereas the average FCS or non-football D-I school that opted in has more than 7,800.
—Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 18 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for shy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shy
Adjective
-
Alexis Bittar has never been shy about shining a light on subjects those with a timid approach would avoid.—
Roxanne Robinson,
Forbes.com,
18 July 2025
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But the timid reaction also underscored Europe’s bystander role, contrasting with its past approach on that topic.—
Garret Martin,
The Conversation,
15 July 2025
Adjective
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Notice if the child becomes withdrawn, anxious, or shows signs of distress connected to a friendship.—
Hannah Nwoko,
Parents,
10 July 2025
-
Often, people that indulge in this type of culture are considered anti-social or withdrawn, a stereotype that has been passed around for years.—
Dominick Williams,
Kansas City Star,
26 June 2025
Adjective
-
This being the 50th anniversary of Steven Spielberg's landmark shark horror film, much of the convention was devoted to celebrating Jaws' milestone — for better or for worse — in the representation of the notorious marine mammals.—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
14 July 2025
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The most notorious, the Escuela de Mecánica de la Armada, had been converted into the ESMA Museum and Site of Memory.—
Julia M. Klein,
The Atlantic,
11 July 2025
Verb
-
But thousands of miles away, executives at China’s leading autonomous driving firms didn’t flinch.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
15 July 2025
-
Sipp slightly flinched his left arm before throwing a pitch to Emmanuel Burriss, allowing Miguel Tejada to score and sending San Francisco to its fourth straight win.—
Houston Mitchell,
Los Angeles Times,
25 June 2025
Adjective
-
The next morning, Onley was bashful at hearing that praise.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
22 July 2025
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There are dozens of people screaming his name and the young Ronaldo appears bashful and shy.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
15 May 2025
Adjective
-
Europe’s Stoxx 600 index closed 0.06% lower on Monday, after shaving off losses late in the day to finish at a session high.—
Chloe Taylor,Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
15 July 2025
-
In the United States, a measles outbreak that originated in a part of West Texas that has a low vaccination rate continues to spread, and there have been more measles cases reported in the US this year than any other since the disease was declared eliminated a quarter-century ago.—
Jacqueline Howard,
CNN Money,
15 July 2025
Adjective
-
Osbourne made a surprise cameo near the film’s end, helping Nicky defeat one of his villains — who is disguised as a bat — by biting off its head, an homage to one of the rock star's most infamous on-stage antics.—
Virginia Chamlee,
People.com,
22 July 2025
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But any extended skids that threaten to endanger a once-ironclad invitation to the playoffs — which have been expanded twice since 2008 — is going to conjure up memories of two of the most infamous late-season stumbles in baseball history.—
Jerry Beach,
Forbes.com,
22 July 2025
Verb
-
Their margins have shrunk as competition and the share of money in low-cost index funds have grown.—
Hank Tucker,
Forbes.com,
24 July 2025
-
Net income dropped year over year as margins continued to shrink, pressured by lower average selling prices, higher raw material costs, and global trade headwinds.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
23 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shy. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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