INDEX:
1. not confident about talking to people
2. not wanting to be too friendly or to show your feelings
3. to stop being shy
4. shy feelings or behaviour
RELATED WORDS
someone who doesn’t talk much : ↑ TALK (13)
see also
↑ CONFIDENT/NOT CONFIDENT
↑ EMBARRASSED/EMBARRASSING
↑ NERVOUS
↑ WORRIED/WORRYING
↑ MODEST
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1. not confident about talking to people
▷ shy /ʃaɪ/ [adjective]
not confident about talking to people, especially people you do not know :
▪ David was always rather quiet and shy at school.
▪ Carrie looked up at him and gave him a shy smile.
painfully shy
extremely shy
▪ He was painfully shy in public, but completely different at home with his family.
too shy to do something
▪ I was too shy to ask her out on a date.
go all shy
spoken suddenly become very shy
▪ Look, she’s gone all shy - stop teasing her.
shy with girls/boys/adults etc
shy when you are talking to girls, boys etc
▪ Because little Danny spent all his time with his mother, he was rather shy with men.
shyly [adverb]
▪ She looked shyly away when he said anything nice about her.
▷ timid /ˈtɪmɪd, ˈtɪməd/ [adjective]
frightened to talk to people or to give your opinion, because you have very little confidence :
▪ Ralph’s wife was a small, timid woman who hardly ever spoke.
▪ ‘May I come in?’ said a timid little voice.
timidly [adverb]
▪ ‘Can I go home now?’ Sue asked, timidly.
▷ bashful /ˈbæʃf ə l/ [adjective]
someone who is bashful is unwilling to give their opinions or do something that they would enjoy, especially because they are embarrassed or afraid that they will look stupid :
▪ Don’t be bashful about telling your family how you feel.
▪ Kirsty gave Willy a bashful grin.
bashfully [adverb]
▪ Bashfully, he kissed the bride lightly on her cheek.
▷ coy /kɔɪ/ [adjective]
someone who is coy deliberately behaves in a shy way because they think it is attractive :
▪ Teresa blushed when she saw me and turned very coy.
▪ Her mother encouraged her to use her feminine charm, to be coy and alluring.
coyly [adverb]
▪ ‘Oh I don’t know if I could do that!’ she said coyly.
▷ diffident /ˈdɪfɪd ə nt, ˈdɪfəd ə nt/ [adjective] formal
someone who is diffident does not like talking about their achievements or is not confident of their abilities :
▪ Shaun became noticeably diffident when the conversation turned to the subject of his promotion.
diffident about
▪ Joe was humble and diffident about his own success.
diffidently [adverb]
▪ ‘I couldn’t possibly do an article for your magazine,’ said Irene diffidently, ‘I don’t write any more.’
2. not wanting to be too friendly or to show your feelings
▷ reserved /rɪˈzɜːʳvd/ [adjective]
someone who is reserved tries not to show their feelings to other people and does not talk a lot :
▪ English people have a reputation for being very reserved.
▪ That shy reserved young man had turned into a confident adult.
▷ withdrawn /wɪðˈdrɔːn, wɪθ-/ [adjective]
not wanting to talk to anyone, especially because you are upset or unhappy :
▪ Mike was silent and withdrawn that evening.
▪ After her husband died Priscilla became very withdrawn and seldom left her home.
▪ He’d always been an unhappy, withdrawn little boy.
▷ introverted /ˈɪntrəvɜːʳtɪd, ˈɪntrəvɜːʳtəd/ [adjective]
someone who is introverted thinks too much about their own interests or problems and it is difficult for them to talk to people :
▪ Peters is just too introverted to be a good manager.
▪ The young girl, once so lively, became introverted and developed a nervous stammer.
introvert [countable noun]
someone who is introverted: :
▪ Chris was a bit of an introvert and didn’t have many friends.
▷ inhibited /ɪnˈhɪbɪtəd, ɪnˈhɪbətəd/ [adjective]
shy and unwilling to express your feelings, especially feelings concerned with sex or with your own body :
▪ I am far too inhibited to have rows with people.
▪ He accused her of being snobbish and emotionally inhibited.
inhibited about
▪ Young people of the nineteenth century were, in general, extremely inhibited about sex.
3. to stop being shy
▷ come out of your shell /kʌm ˌaʊt əv jɔːʳ ˈʃel/ [verb phrase]
to become less shy and more willing to talk to people, especially as the result of an experience that has made you more confident :
▪ When he first joined the company he was very quiet but now he’s come out of his shell a lot.
▪ Her manner is a little diffident, but she’ll soon come out of her shell with a little encouragement.
▷ bring somebody out of their shell /ˌbrɪŋ somebody aʊt əv ðeəʳ ˈʃel/ [verb phrase]
to make someone less shy and more willing to talk to other people :
▪ Emma was always such a shy girl, but these drama classes have really brought her out of her shell.
▪ If Nick stayed with you this vacation, perhaps it would bring him out of his shell a little.
▷ open up /ˌəʊpən ˈʌp/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
to gradually stop being shy, and become more willing to talk about yourself :
▪ On our third date Melissa began to open up and told me about her family and about the years she spent in Italy.
open up to
▪ Many people find it easier to open up to a trained professional, such as a counsellor.
4. shy feelings or behaviour
▷ shyness /ˈʃaɪnɪs, ˈʃaɪnəs/ [uncountable noun]
▪ A course in assertiveness could help her overcome her shyness.
▪ Greg wanted to ask Julie for a date, but shyness always held him back.
▷ inhibition /ˌɪnhɪˈbɪʃ ə n/ [countable/uncountable noun]
an uncomfortable feeling of shyness that makes it difficult for you to behave naturally, show your feelings, or do things that may be embarrassing :
▪ I was amazed at Sam’s lack of inhibition about singing in public.
lose your inhibitions
stop having inhibitions
▪ Alcohol can make you lose all your inhibitions - but you may regret this the next morning!