1
as in timid
easily frightened
a shy cat who hid under the bed every time she heard any loud noise
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in withdrawn
not comfortable around people
a shy person who finds talking to anyone but a close friend to be an awkward and unpleasant experience
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in lacking
not coming up to an expected measure or meeting a particular need
the team is shy a couple of players because of illness
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in notorious
not respectable
she was nervous about being left alone in a shy bar in a bad section of town
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of shy
Michael Cuglietta, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 Apr. 2026
Perez now sits 10 homers shy of surpassing Hall of Famer George Brett for the franchise record.
—Kansas City Star, 29 Apr. 2026
Marta Balaga, Variety, 25 Apr. 2026
So the show didn’t shy away from getting bloody, dark, murky, with plenty of curse words here and there.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 24 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shy
Adjective
The data also lets teachers pinpoint kids who are speaking less than their peers and then work to determine if the child is shy or perhaps has signs of a speech delay the parents should discuss with their pediatrician.
—Michael Cuglietta, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 Apr. 2026
Perez now sits 10 homers shy of surpassing Hall of Famer George Brett for the franchise record.
—Kansas City Star, 29 Apr. 2026
Verb
The show, sold internationally by Banijay Rights and currently available on Streamz, doesn’t shy away from difficult topics.
—Marta Balaga, Variety, 25 Apr. 2026
So the show didn’t shy away from getting bloody, dark, murky, with plenty of curse words here and there.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 24 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shy
Adjective
-
And also the anticipatory obedience by a lot of these news organizations who are more timid.—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
22 Apr. 2026
-
The film follows Colin (Harry Melling), a timid man who is swept off of his feet by Ray (Alexander Skarsgård), an impossibly handsome biker, who takes him on as his submissive.—
Diana Lodderhose,
Deadline,
20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Parents report that many children stop eating, lose weight and become withdrawn.—
Mike Hixenbaugh,
NBC news,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Along the way, Babilonia matured from the shy withdrawn child who refused to hold a boy’s hand into a bold, strong and confident woman.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The detainees—from Pakistan, India, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Myanmar and eight other nations—were found in restricted compounds, some lacking passports or proper immigration documentation.—
Rodney Muhumuza,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
-
If your yard is a bit lacking in colorful birds, adding a feeder can help attract all sorts of them.—
Brittany VanDerBill,
Better Homes & Gardens,
14 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Despite outstanding architecture, what makes this imposing building truly notorious is its storied past.—
Regina Zumarraga,
Travel + Leisure,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Someone else brought up a great point; traditional hummingbird nectar is notorious for making a sticky mess.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
San Antonio featured four regulars –De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell and Dylan Harper — and yet Denver’s unknowns refused to flinch.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
1 May 2026
-
Meta Platforms is splashing some serious cash on AI infrastructure, and investors have flinched.—
Amanda Gerut,
Fortune,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The bashful display marks rock-bottom for Gabbard’s career.—
Aidan McLaughlin,
Vanity Fair,
19 Mar. 2026
-
Meanwhile, some of Brady’s former teammates with the Patriots weren’t bashful about their loyalty heading into Super Bowl LX between the Patriots and Seattle Seahawks, including Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The group, originally signed to RCA Records, released two albums of bustling synth pop and opened for Harry Styles in the late twenty-tens but was cast off in the early days of the pandemic owing to low sales.—
Dan Stahl,
New Yorker,
1 May 2026
-
Senators Chris Murphy and Ruben Gallego have spoken publicly about wanting to pursue this, and Bedoya notes that there’s precedent for this action, citing Democrats’ recent introduction of a bill to break up the meatpacking industry to create lower prices for consumers.—
Hershal Pandya,
Vulture,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Almost 15 years have passed since Milan Lucic blew up goalie Ryan Miller on Garden ice, an infamous hit that would help send the Buffalo Sabres into their Dark Ages.—
Stephen Conroy,
Hartford Courant,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Even the infamous moment when Frank dispatches Eddie (Harvey Guillén) with a chainsaw lands more like a gag than a shock.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shy. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
