Meaning and background
The story behind Shy
Shy is an English adjective meaning reserved, timid or uncomfortable with attention. As a name it is visually minimal and exceptionally short when called aloud. It may be chosen to reflect a first impression, to express affection or simply for its sound; none of those motives can be established from the word alone. The dictionary meaning is the reliable fact.
- Meaning
- Reserved or timid, especially in social situations; an English adjective. Source
Try Shy out loud
Everyday moments“Shy, come here!”
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About Shy
Recorded as a dog’s name
Shy appears in 5 dog licence records in the 2026 New York City dataset.
How to read this count
These records cover New York City and may count the same dog in more than one licence period. They are not a national popularity ranking.
Pronunciation and rhythm
/ʃaɪ/
US English sound sequence, converted from the CMU dictionary. Stress marks are shown separately.
Stress on the first syllable in the recorded US readings.
View dictionary notation
/ʃaɪ/ · primary stress on syllable 1SH AY1
These are US dictionary readings. Personal, regional and other language pronunciations may differ.
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Sources and research notes (2)
- New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene NYC Dog Licensing Dataset — extract_year 2026 — Dog licence periods, not unique dogs; NYC only. No owner-level fields retrieved.
- Carnegie Mellon University / CMU Sphinx maintainers CMU US English Pronouncing Dictionary — US English dictionary readings; not owner-specific or exhaustive multilingual pronunciation
References support the individual facts shown. A source link does not mean the entire profile has been verified.