shy, bashful, diffident, modest, coy mean not inclined to be forward. shy implies a timid reserve and a shrinking from familiarity or contact with others.

Coded: 1, very reluctant or fearful; 2, shy; 3, warms up to tester; 4, immediately friendly. Partly because of the subject's political sensitivity, many scholars shy away from it. For instance, a yout...

A shy person is nervous and uncomfortable in the company of other people. She was a shy, quiet-spoken girl. She was a shy and retiring person off-stage.