Tra từ shy - Từ điển Oxford Advanced Learner 8th

shy [shy shies shied shying shyer shyest] adjective, verb BrE [ʃaɪ] NAmE [ʃaɪ]
adjective (shyer, shy·est)
1. (of people)nervous or embarrassed about meeting and speaking to other people
Syn: ↑timid
•a quiet, shy man
• Don't be shy— come and say hello.
• She was too shy to ask anyone for help.
•As a teenager I was painfully shy.
•She's very shy with adults.
2. showing that sb is nervous or embarrassed about meeting and speaking to other people
•a shy smile
3. (of animals)easily frightened and not willing to come near people
•The panda is a shy creature.
4. not before noun ~ of/about (doing) sth afraid of doing sth or being involved in sth
•The band has never been shy of publicity.
•He disliked her and had never been shy of saying so.
5. not before noun ~ (of sth) (informal, especially NAmE)lacking the amount that is needed
•He died before Christmas, only a month shy of his 90th birthday.
•We are still two players shy (of a full team).
6. -shy (in compounds)avoiding or not liking the thing mentioned
•camera-shy (= not liking to be photographed)
•He's always been work-shy.
see fight shy of sth at ↑fight _v., once bitten, twice shy at ↑once _adv.

Word Origin:
Old English scēoh ‘(of a horse) easily frightened’, of Germanic origin; related to German scheuen ‘shun’, scheuchen ‘scare’; compare with ↑eschew. The verb dates from the mid 17th cent.

Thesaurus:
shy adj.
•Don't be shy— come and say hello.
coy • • embarrassed • • awkward • • self-conscious • • introverted • • reserved • • inhibited • • insecure • |especially written timid • • diffident •
Opp: confident
shy/coy/embarrassed/awkward/self-conscious/inhibited/insecure/timid/diffident about sth
a/an shy/reserved/insecure/timid (young) man/woman/child
a/an shy/coy/embarrassed/self-conscious/diffident smile

Example Bank:
•He is a naturally shy, retiring man.
•I was a bit shy of them at first.
•Please don't be shy— I won't eat you!
•She was terribly shy around strangers.
•She went all shy and hid behind her mother.
•You don't have to be shy with me, you know.
•Don't be shy— come and say hello.
•He gave a shy little smile.
•She felt suddenly shy as the large crowd fell silent.
•She was a shy, retiring girl.
Derived Words: ↑shyly ▪ ↑shyness
Derived: ↑shy away

verb (shies, shy·ing, shied, shiedBrE [ʃaɪd] ; NAmE [ʃaɪd] )intransitive ~ (at sth) (especially of a horse)
to turn away with a sudden movement because it is afraid or surprised
• My horse shied at the unfamiliar noise.
see also ↑coconut shy
Verb forms:

Word Origin:
Old English scēoh ‘(of a horse) easily frightened’, of Germanic origin; related to German scheuen ‘shun’, scheuchen ‘scare’; compare with ↑eschew. The verb dates from the mid 17th cent.

Example Bank:
•Her horse shied violently at a gorse bush.