SHYING Synonyms: 15 Similar and Opposite Words

shying

verb

present participle of shy

as in flinching

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for shying

Verb

The Value Of Clarity Clarity is the ability to answer three questions without flinching.

— Andrew Kokes, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Amy Adams’ Anna Bowden — who has a complicated history with Max as his former lawyer — peeks through the curtain to spy on him, flinching as Max insists on snapping his own broken finger into place.

— Benjamin VanHoose, PEOPLE, 6 July 2026

Definition of flinching

Verb

Otherwise, Makar will be wincing through pain trying to explain the unfathomable, Blackwood will be dropping F-bombs in disbelief and MacKinnon will be ducking reporters despite being the team’s best player.

— Troy Renck, Denver Post, 11 June 2026
Throughout training this week, Bombito was seen wincing when taking tight turns and limping at times following drills.

— Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 11 June 2026

Definition of wincing

Verb

If internal fluid pressure drops during aggressive extraction, the surrounding earth squeezes the cavern inward, permanently shrinking total storage capacity and crushing steel well casings.

— Siddharth Misra, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026
That Toll Brothers vote encapsulated south Folsom’s shrinking oak woodland.

— Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of shrinking

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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“Shying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shying. Accessed 29 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of shying

verb

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