Synonyms for shy
ʃaɪshy

WiktionaryRate these synonyms:1.0 / 1 vote

1. shynoun

   Antonyms:
   brazen, bold, audacious

2. shynoun

   Easily frightened; timid.

   a shy bird.

   Antonyms:
   bold, audacious, brazen

3. shyverb

   Reserved; disinclined to familiar approach.

   coconut shy

   Antonyms:
   brazen, bold, audacious

4. shyadjective

   Cautious; wary; suspicious.

   Antonyms:
   brazen, audacious, bold

5. shyadjective

   Antonyms:
   audacious, bold, brazen

6. shyadjective

   Antonyms:
   brazen, bold, audacious

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:4.0 / 3 votes

1. shy

   Synonyms:
   modest, reserved, retiring, unassuming, unobtrusive

   Antonyms:
   impertinent, intrusive, meddlesome, meddling, obtrusive, officious

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:2.8 / 4 votes

1. shy

   Synonyms:
   timid, reserved, modest, bashful, suspicion, shrinking, chary

   Antonyms:
   bold, brazen-faced, impudent, audacious, reckless

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. shyadjective

   a quick throw

   "he gave the ball a shy to the first baseman"

   Antonyms:
   sufficient, unwary

2. diffident, shy, timid, unsureadjective

   lacking self-confidence

   "stood in the doorway diffident and abashed"; "problems that call for bold not timid responses"; "a very unsure young man"

   Synonyms:
   diffident, faint, shy(p), fainthearted, faint-hearted, timid, uncertain, unsure, incertain

   Antonyms:
   sufficient, unwary

3. shy(p)adjective

   short

   "eleven is one shy of a dozen"

   Antonyms:
   sufficient, unwary

4. shyverb

   wary and distrustful; disposed to avoid persons or things

   "shy of strangers"

   Synonyms:
   shy(p), timid, diffident, unsure

   Antonyms:
   unwary, sufficient

5. shyverb

   start suddenly, as from fright

   Antonyms:
   unwary, sufficient

6. shyverb

   throw quickly

   Antonyms:
   unwary, sufficient

Matched Categories

1. • Start
   • Throw

Editors ContributionRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. quietadjective

   shy people are quiet and timid

   that girl is quiet and timid

   Submitted by gilliancreedon on December 20, 2022  

2. reticent

   Submitted by anonymous on September 6, 2020  

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:5.0 / 1 vote

1. shyadjective

   Synonyms:
   coy, reserved, bashful, diffident, timid, sheepish, shame-faced, over-modest

2. shyadjective

   Synonyms:
   cautious, wary, heedful, chary

3. shynoun

   Synonyms:
   sudden start (as of a horse)

4. shynoun

   Synonyms:
   [Colloquial.] fling, throw

5. shyverb

   Synonyms:
   fling, throw, jerk, cast, toss, hurl, FLIRT, chuck, pitch, sling

6. shyverb

   Synonyms:
   sheer, start aside

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:5.0 / 1 vote

1. shyadjective

   Synonyms:
   timid, coy, backward, retiring, diffident, wary, cautious, (Slang) short, lacking

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "shy":

   timid, bashful, self-conscious, coy, embarrassed, half-hearted, tentative

Suggested Resources

1. shy

   Song lyrics by shy -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by shy on the Lyrics.com website.

2. SHY

   What does SHY stand for? -- Explore the various meanings for the SHY acronym on the Abbreviations.com website.

How to pronounce shy?

How to say shy in sign language?

Words popularity by usage frequency

How to use shy in a sentence?

1. President Barack Obama:

   I want us to be able when we walk out this door to say we couldn't think of anything else that we didn't try to do, that we didn't shy away from a challenge because it was hard. That we weren't timid or got tired or somehow thinking about the next thing because there is no next thing.

2. Yoshiaki Harada:

   Everyone has agreed that we should not shy away from taking the matter to an international arbitration court and starting preparation for that step should be considered.

3. Tim Berners-Lee:

   Yet this research indicates that governments continue to shy away from publishing the very data that can be used to enhance accountability and trust.

4. Avril Haines:

   To be effective, the DNI must never shy away from speaking truth to power -- even, especially, when doing so may be inconvenient or difficult, to safeguard the integrity of our intelligence community, the DNI must insist that, when it comes to intelligence, there is simply no place for politics ever.

5. Sean McElwee:

   She had an actual campaign strategy that revolved around ICE, and it was very smart, because( incumbent Rep. Joe) Crowley was weak on immigration and she knew that he would never be able to get where he needed to be to win that primary, so she just hammered him on it. She didn't shy away from saying it. She put it in her ads. She ran on the issue. She challenged him in the debate. I think' Abolish ICE' is where it is today because of her leadership.