Definitions and meaning of shy
shy
Translingual
Symbol
shy
- (international standards) ISO 639-3 language code for Tachawit. The native name for the Shawiya language.
See also
-
- Wiktionary’s coverage of Tachawit terms
English
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”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ʃaɪ/
-
- Rhymes: -aɪ
- Homophone: Chi (Chicago)
Adjective
shy (comparative shier or shyer or more shy, superlative shiest or shyest or most shy)
- Easily frightened; timid.
- Antonyms: bold, brave, confident, courageous, adventurous, fearless, unshy
- Reserved; disinclined to familiar approach.
- Synonyms: see Thesaurus:shy
- Antonyms: audacious, bold, cheeky, brazen, gregarious, outgoing, confident, forward, unshy
- Cautious; wary; suspicious.
- (informal) Short, insufficient or less than.
- (Can we verify(+) this sense?) Embarrassed.
- (Can we add an example for this sense?)
- (UK, US, politics, of a voter) Less likely to reveal whom they will vote for than average, chiefly in the context of the collective effect this has on polling accuracy.
Usage notes
All comparative and superlative forms are attested for centuries, although shyer and shyest have been more common in both American and British English for more than a century.
Derived terms
Translations
See also
- bashful
- reserved
- timid
- demure
- coy
Verb
shy (third-person singular simple present shies, present participle shying, simple past and past participle shied)
- (intransitive) To avoid due to caution, embarrassment or timidness.
- Synonym: shy away
- (Can we date this quote by Hearings, Reports and Prints of the Senate Committee on Government Operations and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?) (page 172)
- Courts might tend to shy from limiting Congress under such a vague standard.
- (intransitive) To jump back in fear.
- Synonyms: start, startle
- (transitive) To throw sideways with a jerk; to fling.
- Synonyms: bowl; see also Thesaurus:throw
- (Scotland, transitive, intransitive) To throw a ball with two hands above the head, especially when it has crossed the side lines in a football (soccer) match.
- (Scotland) To hit the ball back into play from the sidelines in a shinty match.
Derived terms
Translations
Noun
shy (plural shies)
- An act of throwing.
- A place for throwing.
- A sudden start aside, as by a horse.
- In the Eton College wall game, a point scored by lifting the ball against the wall in the calx.
- (Scotland, soccer) A throw-in from the sidelines, using two hands above the head.
- (Scotland) 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.
- (archaic) A gibe; a sneer.
Derived terms
Translations
Anagrams
Source: wiktionary.org