What does shy mean?
Definitions for shy
ʃaɪshy
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word shy.
Princeton's WordNet
shyadjective
a quick throw
"he gave the ball a shy to the first baseman"
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"
shy(p)adjective
short
"eleven is one shy of a dozen"
shyverb
wary and distrustful; disposed to avoid persons or things
"shy of strangers"
shyverb
start suddenly, as from fright
shyverb
throw quickly
Wiktionary
shynoun
act of throwing
shynoun
place for throwing
coconut shy
shyverb
To avoid due to timidness or caution.
I shy away from investment opportunities I don't understand.
shyverb
To jump back in fear.
The horse shied away from the rider, which startled him so much he shied away from the horse.
shyverb
to throw a ball or other missile at a target
shyadjective
Easily frightened; timid.
a shy bird.
shyadjective
Reserved; disinclined to familiar approach.
He is very shy with strangers.
shyadjective
Cautious; wary; suspicious.
shyadjective
Short, insufficient or less than.
shyadjective
Embarrassed.
Etymology: From shy, from sceoh, from skiuhwaz. Cognate with schuw, scheu, sky.
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
SHYadjective
Etymology: schowe, Dutch; schifo, Italian.
She is represented in such a shy retiring posture, and covers her bosom with one of her hands. Joseph Addison, Guardian.
What makes you so shy, my good friend? There’s no body loves you better than I. John Arbuthnot, Hist. of John Bull.
I am very shy of employing corrosive liquors in the preparation of medicines. Boyle.
We are not shy of assent to celestial informations, because they were hid from ages. Joseph Glanvill, Sceps.
We grant, although he had much wit,
H’ was very shy of using it,
As being loth to wear it out,
And therefore bore it not about. Hudibras.A shy fellow was the duke; and, I believe, I know the cause of his withdrawing. William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure.
The bruise imposthumated, and afterwards turned to a stinking ulcer, which made every body shy to come near her. John Arbuthnot, History of John Bull.
The horses of the army, having been daily led before me, were no longer shy, but would come up to my very feet, without starting. Gulliver’s Travels.
But when we come to seize th’ inviting prey,
Like a shy ghost, it vanishes away. John Norris.Princes are, by wisdom of state, somewhat shy of their successors; and there may be supposed in queens regnant a little proportion of tenderness that way more than in kings. Henry Wotton.
I know you shy to be oblig’d,
And still more loth to be oblig’d by me. Thomas Southerne.
Wikipedia
Shy
Shy is an adjective describing a person with shyness. Shyness as a characteristic of infant children is covered at stranger anxiety.
ChatGPT
shy
Shy refers to a characteristic or behavior in individuals who feel uncomfortable, nervous, or timid around other people, typically due to lack of confidence or fear of judgement. Such individuals often prefer solitary activities and typically avoid social gatherings or interactions.
Webster Dictionary
Shy
easily frightened; timid; as, a shy bird
Shy
reserved; coy; disinclined to familiar approach
Shy
cautious; wary; suspicious
Shyadjective
to start suddenly aside through fright or suspicion; -- said especially of horses
Shyverb
to throw sidewise with a jerk; to fling; as, to shy a stone; to shy a slipper
Shynoun
a sudden start aside, as by a horse
Shynoun
a side throw; a throw; a fling
Etymology: [OE. schey, skey, sceouh, AS. sceh; akin to Dan. sky, Sw. skygg, D. schuw, MHG. schiech, G. scheu, OHG. sciuhen to be or make timid. Cf. Eschew.]
Wikidata
Shy
Shy are a British metal band formed in 1980 under the name "Trojan", hailing from Birmingham, England.
Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
Shy
shī, adj. timid: reserved: cautious: suspicious: elusive, hard to find.—v.i. to start aside, as a horse from fear.—v.t. to avoid:—pa.t. and pa.p. shīed.—n. a sudden swerving aside.—advs. Shy′ly, Shi′ly.—ns. Shy′ness, Shī′ness (obs.); Shy′ster, a tricky lawyer.—Fight shy of (see Fight); Look shy at, or on, to regard with distrust. [A.S. sceóh; Ger. scheu, Dan. sky.]
Shy
shī, v.t. to fling, throw, toss.—v.i. to jerk.—n. a throw, a fling: a gibe, sneer: a trial.
Suggested Resources
shy
Song lyrics by shy -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by shy on the Lyrics.com website.
SHY
What does SHY stand for? -- Explore the various meanings for the SHY acronym on the Abbreviations.com website.
Surnames Frequency by Census Records
SHY
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Shy is ranked #15090 in terms of the most common surnames in America.
The Shy surname appeared 1,955 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 would have the surname Shy.
51.3% or 1,004 total occurrences were White.
39% or 764 total occurrences were Black.
4.1% or 82 total occurrences were Asian.
2.2% or 44 total occurrences were of two or more races.
1.8% or 37 total occurrences were of Hispanic origin.
1.2% or 24 total occurrences were American Indian or Alaskan Native.
British National Corpus
Adjectives Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'shy' in Adjectives Frequency: #976
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of shy in Chaldean Numerology is: 9
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of shy in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7
Examples of shy in a Sentence
Robert Heinlein, Excerpt from the notebooks of Lazarus Long, "Time Enough for Love":
People who go broke in a big way never miss any meals. It is the poor jerk who is shy a half slug who must tighten his belt.
If people are implementing the Sharia, then I cannot shy away from what the divine text says in relationship to that, if you cannot say when you believe in something and you cannot share that view, then you don’t really have freedom to express yourself in this county.
Last night's homer was Willie Stargell's 399th career home run, leaving him one shy of 500.
You dont always see jays there because they are very intelligent and shy.
The shy man does have some slight revenge upon society for the torture it inflicts upon him. He is able, to a certain extent, to communicate his misery. He frightens other people as much as they frighten him. He acts like a damper upon the whole room, and the most jovial spirits become, in his presence, depressed and nervous.
Popularity rank by frequency of use
References
Translations for shy
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- مورط, خجول, خجلArabic
- vergonyósCatalan, Valencian
- plachý, hodit sebou, uskočit, mrštit sebou, opatrný, praštit sebou, odměřenýCzech
- kast, smide, kaste, genertDanish
- schüchtern, scheu, verlegenGerman
- ντροπαλόςGreek
- tímido, lanzar, reservado, vergonzosoSpanish
- خجالتیPersian
- vajaa, heitto, ujo, nolo, arka, heittopaikka, kavahtaa, säikkyä, varovainen, heittääFinnish
- embarrassé, prudent, timide, apeuréFrench
- cúthailIrish
- faitaghManx
- félénkHungarian
- pemaluIndonesian
- feiminnIcelandic
- adombrarsi, timidoItalian
- ביישןHebrew
- 恥ずかしい, 弱気, 慎重, 引っ込み思案, 恥ずかしがり屋, 寡黙Japanese
- timidus, verecundus, pavidus, timidos agitabisLatin
- beschroomd, gooiplek, verlegen, klein, aangooi, timide, gooien, voorzichtig, terugspringen, weggooien, verstandig, werpen, bedeesd, worp, gereserveerd, schuchter, gooiplaats, schroomvalligDutch
- sjenertNorwegian
- nieśmiałyPolish
- medroso, avergonhado, arremesso, assustado, envergonhado, lance, tímido, reservado, cuidadoso, lançamento, pávidoPortuguese
- timidRomanian
- робкий, нерешительный, смущённый, пугливый, застенчивый, стыдливый, растерянный, стеснительный, осторожныйRussian
- blygSwedish
- வெட்கப்படவில்லைTamil
- utangaçTurkish
- شرمیلیUrdu
- nhátVietnamese
- shyYiddish
- 害羞Chinese
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Translation
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