shilly

Examples

• All

• After weeks of shilly behavior, she finally mustered the courage to apply for the job.

• Don't just stand there shilly; make a decision about which movie to watch.

• I'll have no more shilly-shallying about the matter.

  Fiction book (1994)

• And like, they just really build a shilly robot and that's the whole movie.

  H3 Podcast

• Now that I'm on my way, I intend to tell him a thing or two about his shilly-shallying.

  The Tall Target (1951)

• Nothing. I'm here to tell you, until you have seen the Holy Ghost, it's all sham and shilly-shally.

  Fiction book (2002)

• Spongebob will return my snail to me without any more shilly-shally.

  The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run (2020)

• Simply can't understand how I ever came to have a pair of shilly-shallying children like Rone and Ted.

  Blog text (31)

• But enough shilly-shallying!

  Fiction book (2001)

• Cheap shilly-shally thrill.

  Fiction book (1993)

Synonyms

S

shy

vsshilly

414 1.0

Nervous and likely to avoid people or new situations

is an old-fashioned label for nervous avoidance and slow action

H

hesitant

vsshilly

72 3.2

Slow to act or speak because you feel unsure

is an old-fashioned term for slow action from uncertainty and lack of confidence

T

timid

vsshilly

56 3.5

Shy and afraid to do new or risky things

is an old-fashioned word for general nervousness and slow action

C

coy

vsshilly

38 5.4

Acting shy to seem playful or avoid answering directly

is an old-fashioned term for genuine nervousness rather than playful evasion

B

bashful

vsshilly

16 3.2

Shy and easily embarrassed, avoiding attention

is an old-fashioned way to describe modest nervousness and slow action

G

gun-shy

vsshilly

• Informal

9 7.9

Feeling nervous about doing something because of a past bad experience

is an old-fashioned word for general lack of confidence, not experience-based fear

S

sheepish

vsshilly

9 4.0

Feeling embarrassed and a little shy because of a mistake

is an old-fashioned term used for embarrassment linked to low confidence

M

mousy

vsshilly

8 5.9

Quiet and shy, not confident in groups

is an old-fashioned word used for low confidence and reluctance

D

diffident

vsshilly

4 8.0

Shy and not confident about speaking or acting in front of others

is an older term meaning low confidence rather than modern phrasing

T

timorous

vsshilly

• Formal

1 8.6

Feeling nervous and lacking confidence in new situations

is an old-fashioned label for general nervousness and slow action

T

trepid

vsshilly

1 9.9

Feeling nervous and afraid to do something new

is an old-fashioned word for nervousness and pausing before action

Antonyms

C

confident

759 2.5

Feeling sure about yourself or what will happen

Idioms

S

to stand shilly-shally

• Archaic

1 9.9

To be unsure and not decide

How Shy

timid

56 3.5

shilly

• Archaic

1 9.9

hesitant

72 3.2

reserved

29 3.7

Surface Forms

Etymology