/ ʃaɪ; NAmE / adjective , verb
■ adjective ( shyer , shy·est )
1.
( of people ) nervous or embarrassed about meeting and speaking to other people
SYN timid :
a quiet, shy man
Don't be shy—come and say hello.
She was too shy to ask anyone for help.
As a teenager I was painfully shy .
She's very shy with adults.
2.
showing that sb is nervous or embarrassed about meeting and speaking to other people :
a shy smile
3.
( of animals ) easily frightened and not willing to come near people :
The panda is a shy creature.
4.
[ not before noun ] shy of / about (doing) sth afraid of doing sth or being involved in sth :
The band has never been shy of publicity.
He disliked her and had never been shy of saying so.
5.
[ not before noun ] shy (of sth) ( informal , especially NAmE ) lacking the amount that is needed :
He died before Christmas, only a month shy of his 90th birthday.
We are still two players shy (of a full team).
6.
-shy (in compounds) avoiding or not liking the thing mentioned :
camera-shy (= not liking to be photographed)
He's always been work-shy.
► shyly adverb
► shy·ness noun [ U ]
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IDIOMS
see fight verb , once adverb
■ verb
( shies , shy·ing , shied , shied / ʃaɪd; NAmE /) [ v ] ~ (at sth) ( especially of a horse ) to turn away with a sudden movement because it is afraid or surprised :
My horse shied at the unfamiliar noise.
—see also coconut shy
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PHRASAL VERBS
- shy away (from sth)
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English scēoh (of a horse) easily frightened , of Germanic origin; related to German scheuen shun, scheuchen scare; compare with eschew . The verb dates from the mid 17th cent.