SHY (shied, shier, shiest, shyer, shyest)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

Irregular inflected forms: shied    , shier    , shiest    , shyer    , shyest   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does shy mean? 

• SHY (noun)
  The noun SHY has 1 sense:

1. a quick throw

  Familiarity information: SHY used as a noun is very rare.

• SHY (adjective)
  The adjective SHY has 3 senses:

1. lacking self-confidence

2. short

3. wary and distrustful; disposed to avoid persons or things

  Familiarity information: SHY used as an adjective is uncommon.

• SHY (verb)
  The verb SHY has 2 senses:

1. start suddenly, as from fright

2. throw quickly

  Familiarity information: SHY used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SHY (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A quick throw

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Context example:

he gave the ball a shy to the first baseman

Hypernyms ("shy" is a kind of...):

throw (the act of throwing (propelling something with a rapid movement of the arm and wrist))

Derivation:

shy (throw quickly)

• SHY (adjective)

Comparative: shyer   
Superlative: shyest   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Lacking self-confidence

Synonyms:

diffident; shy; timid; unsure

Context example:

a very unsure young man

Attribute:

confidence (a feeling of trust (in someone or something))

Derivation:

shyness (a feeling of fear of embarrassment)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Short

Context example:

eleven is one shy of a dozen

Similar:

deficient; insufficient (of a quantity not able to fulfill a need or requirement)

Domain usage:

colloquialism (a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Wary and distrustful; disposed to avoid persons or things

Context example:

shy of strangers

Similar:

wary (marked by keen caution and watchful prudence)

• SHY (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they shy    ... he / she / it shies   
Past simple: shied   
Past participle: shied   
-ing form: shying   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Start suddenly, as from fright

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "shy" is one way to...):

jump; start; startle (move or jump suddenly, as if in surprise or alarm)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s

Sense 2

Meaning:

Throw quickly

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "shy" is one way to...):

throw (propel through the air)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

shy (a quick throw)

 Context examples 

And she says, half bold and half shy, and half a laughing and half a crying, “Yes, Uncle! If you please.”

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Beth was too shy to enjoy society, and Jo too wrapped up in her to care for anyone else.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

Since her being at Lambton, she had heard that Miss Darcy was exceedingly proud; but the observation of a very few minutes convinced her that she was only exceedingly shy.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)

Why are you so very shy, and so very sombre?

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

They travel at speeds just shy of the speed of light and rarely interact with other matter, allowing them to travel unimpeded across distances of billions of light-years.

(NASA’s Fermi Traces Source of Cosmic Neutrino to Monster Black Hole, NASA)

He was a very shy man, Mr. Holmes.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

“Harrison’s no lady’s-maid fighter, and he’s blood to the bone. He’d have a shy at it if his man was as big as Carlton House.”

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

John gave a groan which made the horses shy.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

“Jim here,” said the doctor, “can help us more than anyone. The men are not shy with him, and Jim is a noticing lad.”

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

Like most people who lead a lonely life, she was shy at first, but ended by becoming extremely communicative.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)