shy

shy1 [ ʃaı ] adjective *

1. ) nervous and embarrassed in the company of other people, especially people you do not know:

Archie was shy and awkward.

I'd love to meet her, but I'm too shy to introduce myself.

a ) shy behavior shows that someone is nervous or not confident:

a shy grin

He gave Joanna a quick shy glance.

2. ) not willing to do or be involved in something, because it makes you feel nervous or embarrassed:

shy about/of: He is very shy about singing in public.

3. ) a shy animal is afraid of people and tries to hide from them

shy of something

a little less than, a little earlier than, or a short distance from something:

They scored just shy of 100 goals last year.

I called him only two minutes shy of midnight.

╾ shy|ly adverb:

Kevin and Ashley smiled shyly at each other.

╾ shy|ness noun uncount

=> FIGHT1, BITE1

shy

shy 2 [ ʃaı ] verb intransitive

if a horse shies, it moves suddenly away from something because it is afraid

,shy a`way phrasal verb intransitive

to avoid someone or be unwilling to do something, because you are nervous, afraid, or not confident