Blackwood's
Synonyms
Examples of shy in a Sentence
Kristin Guy, Sunset Magazine, 11 Apr. 2024
The essentials have been particularly expensive: Food prices surged during the pandemic, and companies haven’t been shy about keeping them elevated even as supply chains recovered.
—Allison Morrow, CNN, 10 Apr. 2024
That total is one shy of Golden State’s franchise record.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 9 Apr. 2024
Nisha is Indian-American, painfully shy and self-admittedly socially awkward, which doesn’t stop her from making friends, notably with her bubbly competition for a supreme court seat, Brooke.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 5 Apr. 2024
For her part, Dunst isn’t shy about answering questions about real-world politics.
—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 3 Apr. 2024
Since the discontinuation of Patrón XO Cafe, social media users haven't been shy about expressing their exasperation.
—Sharon Greenthal, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Apr. 2024
The two are still happily together, just a few months shy of their wedding anniversary.
—Chyna Blackmon, Charlotte Observer, 29 Mar. 2024
With just shy of one week to vote in the Frynal Four, there’s plenty of time for restaurants to campaign on social media or direct customers to the bracket on their websites, which multiple contenders have used to earn thousands of votes so far.
—The Indianapolis Star, 28 Mar. 2024
Rachel Siegel, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024
Never one to shy away from revealing skin, the Inamorata founder paired a black string thong with a long white skirt that’s almost completely sheer.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 10 Apr. 2024
Also, don’t shy away from using large furniture pieces and area rugs to break up the living areas, since lofts (especially hard lofts) are usually open concept.
—Cori Sears, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Apr. 2024
The agency hasn’t shied from such action in the past.
—Bymeredith Wadman, science.org, 1 Apr. 2024
Dolly Parton has never shied away from promoting herself or her work.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
And while the benefits of being open and honest about money are clear, millions of people will still shy away from the conversation.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 27 Mar. 2024
Since then, the couple hasn't shied away from posting each other on their social media accounts or speaking about their relationship in public.
—Skyler Caruso, Peoplemag, 19 Mar. 2024
Consider a client who always played it safe, shying away from risks due to a childhood marked by financial instability.
—Remi Adebonojo, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Adjective
Middle English schey, going back to Old English scēoh, going back to West Germanic *skeuh(w)a- (whence also Middle High German schiehe, schiech "timid, despondent," and, with alteration or variant ablaut, Middle Dutch scu, scouw "timid"), perhaps extended form of Indo-European *(s)keu̯(H)- "perceive, watch" — more at show entry 1
Verb (1)
derivative of shy entry 1
Noun (1)
derivative of shy entry 2
Verb (2)
of obscure origin
Noun (2)
derivative of shy entry 4
Adjective
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb (1)
1649, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Noun (1)
1791, in the meaning defined above
Verb (2)
1787, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense
Noun (2)
1791, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing shy
Articles Related to shy
Dictionary Entries Near shy
Cite this Entry
“Shy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shy. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
shy
1 of 3 adjectiveshy
2 of 3 verbshy
3 of 3 noun
More from Merriam-Webster on shy
Nglish: Translation of shy for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of shy for Arabic Speakers
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