shy, bashful, diffident, modest, coy mean not inclined to be forward. shy implies a timid reserve and a shrinking from familiarity or contact with others.

Find 175 different ways to say SHY, along with antonyms, related words, and example sentences at Thesaurus.com.

He was too shy to ask her to dance with him. She gave a shy smile. Children are often shy with people they don't know. The deer were shy (= unwilling to be near people) and hid behind some trees.

suspicious, distrustful, or wary (often used in combination): The studio made a huge mistake when they cast a horse-shy actor in the cowboy role. I am a bit shy of that sort of person.

1. To move suddenly or draw back, as if startled or afraid: The horse shied at the loud sound. 2. To avoid engaging in, treating, or discussing something: "a film adaptation that would not shy away from …

Shyness (also called diffidence) is the feeling of apprehension, lack of comfort, or awkwardness especially when a person is around other people. This commonly occurs in new situations or with …

A shy person is nervous and uncomfortable in the company of other people. She was a shy, quiet-spoken girl. She was a shy and retiring person off-stage.

Shy means being nervous or reserved around other people, especially in a social situation. Someone who's extremely shy might blush or stammer when talking to a group of people. Shy can also mean …

Definition of shy adjective in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

Find 4,270 synonyms for shy and other similar words that you can use instead based on 18 separate contexts from our thesaurus.