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shy

/ʃaɪ/noun, verb, adjective1 syllable

Shy means: lacking self-confidence.

Synonyms for shy21

adjective, as in lacking self-confidence

diffident, timid, unsure

adjective, as in short

adjective, as in wary and distrustful; disposed to avoid persons or things

also used for shy

abashed, backward, bashful, bookish, coy, distant, embarrassed, hesitant, mousy, unassertive, passive, quiet, reclusive, retiring, shamefast

Includes material from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

What does shy mean?6

adjective

1

lacking self-confidence“stood in the doorway diffident and abashed”

2

short“eleven is one shy of a dozen”

3

wary and distrustful; disposed to avoid persons or things“shy of strangers”

noun

1

a quick throw“he gave the ball a shy to the first baseman”

verb

1

start suddenly, as from fright

2

throw quickly

Definitions from the Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

What rhymes with shy?60

Show 40 near rhymes

All 60 rhymes for shy, grouped by syllable

Shy in a sentence

  • She seems shy, but has a strong will in practice.unknown
  • Masha dreams of starting a revolution, but is too shy.FeuDRenais2
  • She is a shy, insecure, overly sensitive girl.ProfessorGiraffe
  • If you are too shy to ask, you will lose your way.unknown
  • In comparison with his brother, he was shy.unknown
  • He's a little shy, but trust me, he is adorable.unknown
  • My friend over there thinks you're cute, but he's too shy to tell you.Hybrid
  • My friend over there thinks you're cute, but she's too shy to tell you.Hybrid

Sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR, credited to their authors.

Forms of shy

as a noun

plural
shies

as a verb

past tense
shied
present participle
shying
third-person singular
shies
past participle
shied

as a adjective

comparative
shyer
superlative
shyest