1. (superl.) Easily frightened; timid; as, a shy bird.

2. (superl.) Reserved; coy; disinclined to familiar approach.

3. (superl.) Cautious; wary; suspicious.

4. (v.) To start suddenly aside through fright or suspicion; -- said especially of horses.

5. (v. t.) To throw sidewise with a jerk; to fling; as, to shy a stone; to shy a slipper.

6. (n.) A sudden start aside, as by a horse.

7. (n.) A side throw; a throw; a fling.

Pyrrhonic about the bush afraid agnostic apprehensive around the bush arrested averse avert avoid back down backhanded backward balance balk bankrupt in bare of bashful be startled bear off beat about beat around beg the question bereft of bicker bilk blench blink boggle boggling bowl cagey callow cast cast at catapult cautious cavil chary choplogic chuck chuck at chunk circumspect confused conscious cowardly coy cringe dart dash debate defective deficient deliberate demur demure demurring denuded of deprived of destitute of devoid of diffident distrustful dodge double doubtful doubting draw aside draw back draw in dubious duck ease off edge off elude embryonic empty of equivocate eschew evade evade the issue fade failing fall back falter faltering fear fearful fearing fearsome fence fight shy fight shy of fire fire at flinch fling fling at flip fly off for want of fork forlorn of from Missouri gag gee glance glance off go off goosy hang back hang off have qualms haw head off heave heave at hedge hem and haw hesitant hesitate hesitating hold off hover hum and haw hurl hurl against hurl at hurtle hypoplastic immature in arrear in arrears in default in default of in doubt in fear in short supply in want of inadequate inarticulate incomplete indisposed infant insufficient introversive introvert introverted jerk jib jump jump a mile jumpy lacking lance launch leery let fly let fly at loath lob make bones about make way for missing mistrustful mistrusting modest mousy move aside mystify needing nervous nitpick obscure out of out of pocket palter panic parry part partial pass patchy pause peg pelt pick nits pitch pitchfork ponder pot prevaricate pull away pull back pull in pull out pussyfoot put put off put the shot quail qualmish questioning quibble rabbity recoil reel back reluctant reserved retiring retract retreat scant scant of scanty scarce scary scrappy scruple scrupulous self-conscious self-distrustful self-effacing serve shaky shamefaced shamefast sheepish sheer off shift shift off shilly-shally shivery short short of shove aside shrink shrink back shrinking shuffle shun shunt shy at shy away shy of shy off side sidestep sideswipe sidetrack sidle skedaddle skeptical