Gunshy

//ˈɡʌn.ʃaɪ// adj

adj ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Afraid to use a gun.
  2. 2
    Frightened by the sound of gunfire.

    "But very few dogs become gunshy if they are introduced to the bang while they are overcome with the delight of chasing game, particularly if the trainer begins with a light noise and works up to louder noises in easy stages"

  3. 3
    Fearing the consequences of repeating an act, especially after being reprimanded. figuratively

    "After his last suggestion was laughed at by his colleagues, he was gunshy about making another suggestion."

Example

More examples

"But very few dogs become gunshy if they are introduced to the bang while they are overcome with the delight of chasing game, particularly if the trainer begins with a light noise and works up to louder noises in easy stages"

Etymology

From gun + shy.

Related phrases

are the Kennedies gun-shy

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.