shy

The 800m European champion Werro has come closest, running a time just 0.42 seconds shy of the record at the Zurich Diamond League.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

Next time you’re at a show — perhaps on the 21st night of September? — don’t be shy about joining in.

From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026

And they aren’t shy about sharing their opinions, whether something looks great or misses the mark.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

El-Sayed, for example, used to shy away from the parallel.

From Slate ● Sep. 9, 2026

The brick is just shy of hitting me.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

"He shies away from the cameras, he doesn't address the nation at times and moments when people might expect him to," said Ashish Pradhan of the International Crisis Group.

From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026

Stepping into the spotlight required Wolfhard, who admits he shies away from conflict, to own both the pressure and the power of being the one audiences came to hear.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

Vimal shies away from the word "trailblazer" when people talk about what he's achieved already, as well as what's to come.

From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2024

Cher, musical icon and 2024 inductee into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, never shies away from voicing an opinion.

From Salon ● May 2, 2024

“He shies a bit on his right side.”

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

“Mabel 2 is much shier and has more wildness in her,” so she was used in the nervous bird scenes early on.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 12, 2025

“I just loved it. It was a natural fit. I think it’s good for any child, to be honest, for confidence. I was on the shier side.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2025

Toula worked in my shier stage of life.

From Time Magazine Archive

Stat. v.r. dry scrubs        5.7 Like 270, but small white patch near outer edge of wing; shier; f., sim.

From An Australian Bird Book A Pocket Book for Field Use by John Albert Leach

There effects are flung at the spectator's head like balls at a cocoanut; if they fail to register a hit it is the fault of the shier, not of the nut.

From Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 159, 1920-07-28 by Various

Tell them how excited you are for them to meet your cousin, or make them the hero by asking them to check on the shiest person at the soiree.

From Salon ● Nov. 23, 2021

"But also, the girls and young women themselves, since it's likely the shiest and least experienced young women who are the victims of such encounters, would be loath to discuss them."

From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2021

One of his closest friends among the Ducks, center Jake Hanson, once called Herbert “the shiest dude I’ve ever met.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 24, 2020

“I like that it can draw out even the shiest person,” she said.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 10, 2017

This resentful look is deceptive, however, for the bird is the shiest creature imaginable.

From Argentine Ornithology, Volume I (of 2) A descriptive catalogue of the birds of the Argentine Republic. by W. H. (William Henry) Hudson

Often unnoticed by drivers, these structures help shyer animals move across the landscape.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 31, 2024

The looking task yielded more nuanced results, indicating that shyer children were occasionally more accurate but less likely to respond.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2023

The U.S. audience was shyer and more naïve than her Canadian viewers, Ms. Johanson told Mireya Navarro of The New York Times in 2004; they seemed to lack basic knowledge.

From New York Times ● Jul. 7, 2023

A duet is a great opportunity for a shyer person to sing without having to be the complete center of attention.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 14, 2023

The shyer creatures would go to the water hole early in the morning, drink a few sips of water, and then move away.

From "The Girl Who Married a Lion: and Other Tales from Africa" by Alexander Mccall Smith

Domingo was a mama’s boy and the shyest of his siblings.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 10, 2026

And I kept thinking about my summer habit of roasting fruit in big weekly batches, how a stint in the oven could turn even the shyest berries into something plush and intense.

From Salon ● Dec. 16, 2025

"I was probably the shyest of the three."

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2025

Most of his teammates consider him one of the shyest players on Penn State’s roster.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 18, 2023

The shyest of the three girls, she was slow to take to Alpharetta.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times

But she shied away from making political statements.

From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2026

And in 2024, a host of figures who’d previously shied away from the president loudly and proudly got on board, from Vance to entertainment figures like Joe Rogan.

From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026

How can we take the measure of, or get to know, any person, especially a writer who, by his own admission, shied away from obvious forms of self-exposure?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

Burnham has not shied away from clashing with the Premier League and football's authorities.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

Ghost emerged from the undergrowth so suddenly that the garion shied and reared.

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin

“Contemporary writers are shying away from challenging their readers, but not Allie,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2026

It’s been a big topic, and certainly one that I’m not shying away from.

From Salon ● Apr. 27, 2026

Cruz isn't shying away from his family connections.

From BBC ● Feb. 27, 2026

Crude oil futures rose on Wednesday, extending a move off lows as traders assess the likelihood the U.S. will attack oil producer Iran as well as the impact of India shying away from Russian oil.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 2026

At first he would not waken, until, with a jerk of his head, he sat up, shying from Jonathan’s touch.

From "The Fighting Ground" by Avi