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    Dendril Roots
      shy
      noun
      An act of throwing.
      A place for throwing.
      A sudden start aside, as by a horse.
      In the Eton College wall game, a point scored by lifting the ball against the wall in the calx.
      (Scotland, soccer) A throw-in from the sidelines, using two hands above the head.
      (Scotland) In shinty, the act of tossing the ball above the head and hitting it with the shaft of the caman to bring it back into play after it has been hit out of the field.
      A surname.
      (archaic) A gibe; a sneer.
      verb
      (intransitive) To avoid due to caution, embarrassment or timidness.
      (intransitive) To jump back in fear.
      (transitive) To throw sideways with a jerk; to fling.
      (Scotland, transitive, intransitive) To throw a ball with two hands above the head, especially when it has crossed the side lines in a football (soccer) match.
      (Scotland) To hit the ball back into play from the sidelines in a shinty match.
      adjective
      Easily frightened; timid.
      Reserved; disinclined to familiar approach.
      Embarrassed.
      Cautious; wary; suspicious.
      (UK, US, politics, of a voter) Less likely to reveal whom they will vote for than average, chiefly in the context of the collective effect this has on polling accuracy.
      (informal) Short, insufficient or less than.
      Synonyms for shy
      timidadjdiffidentadjbashfuladjcoyadjunassertiveadjtimorousadjskittishadjintrovertedadjafraidadjhesitantadjshamefacedadjsheepishadjapprehensiveadjdemureadjintroversiveadj
      Words related to shy
      cockshyadjpavidreticentadjshynessntimidnessnshylyadvtimidlyadvunsureadjreticentlyadvbashfulnessnembarrassedadjfaintheartedadjintimidatedadjverecundscaredadjovermodestadjbashfullyadvundemonstrativeadjunassertivenessnashamedadjtimorousnessnblatevskittishlyadvoverapprehensiveadjtimidityn

      Synonyms & related words for shy

      Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of shy — including timid, diffident, bashful, coy, unassertive, timorous. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

      Words related to shy

      Explore words related to shy — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include cockshy, pavid, reticent, shyness, timidness, shyly, timidly, unsure. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

      Synonyms for shy

      Common synonyms for shy include timid, diffident, bashful, coy, unassertive, timorous, skittish, introverted — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

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