as in wary
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Recent Examples of gun-shy
Major studios have grown gun-shy about funding anything remotely risky; even a risk well taken can prompt a knee-jerk, scornful reaction from not only the executives but also the press: The film could, even should, have done better.
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David Sims, The Atlantic, 25 Apr. 2025
Nintendo has been famously gun-shy of live-action adaptations — or adaptations in general — after the abysmal 1993 Super Mario Bros. film tanked.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 28 Mar. 2025
But that ending has yet to be printed: in a documentary climate in which corporations are growing increasingly gun-shy, The Stringer does not yet have a distributor.
—Steven Zeitchik, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Jan. 2025
Harris dropped out of the 2020 presidential race early (followed later by her fellow female candidates, senators Amy Klobuchar and Elizabeth Warren), and some pundits speculated that Democratic primary voters were gun-shy of nominating another woman after Hillary Clinton’s loss in 2016.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 21 July 2024
The Price of Entry Apart from elevated risks, there are several other reasons why international firms are likely to remain gun-shy about India.
—Arvind Subramanian, Foreign Affairs, 9 Dec. 2022
Digital transformation made employers more selective and gun-shy about entry-level hiring, but generative AI will take it to a new level.
—Ryan Craig, Forbes, 21 Apr. 2023
David Sims, The Atlantic, 25 Apr. 2025
Nintendo has been famously gun-shy of live-action adaptations — or adaptations in general — after the abysmal 1993 Super Mario Bros. film tanked.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 28 Mar. 2025
But that ending has yet to be printed: in a documentary climate in which corporations are growing increasingly gun-shy, The Stringer does not yet have a distributor.
—Steven Zeitchik, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Jan. 2025
Harris dropped out of the 2020 presidential race early (followed later by her fellow female candidates, senators Amy Klobuchar and Elizabeth Warren), and some pundits speculated that Democratic primary voters were gun-shy of nominating another woman after Hillary Clinton’s loss in 2016.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 21 July 2024
The Price of Entry Apart from elevated risks, there are several other reasons why international firms are likely to remain gun-shy about India.
—Arvind Subramanian, Foreign Affairs, 9 Dec. 2022
Digital transformation made employers more selective and gun-shy about entry-level hiring, but generative AI will take it to a new level.
—Ryan Craig, Forbes, 21 Apr. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gun-shy
Adjective
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And critics are still wary of its original incentive model, which offered cryptocurrency (Worldcoin tokens) to those who signed up.—
Jennifer Jolly,
USA Today,
2 May 2025
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From the start, two things are abundantly clear: Indy is wary of the creepy old house, and his affection for Todd is unwavering.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
1 May 2025
Adjective
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She’s perfected her travel routine Like any typical traveler, Fatu is leery of sharing her space with strangers and leaving her immune system at the mercy of an airline cleaning crew.—
Martie Bowser,
Forbes.com,
22 Apr. 2025
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When the two talked, Doumbia was leery of just about anybody.—
Mac Engel,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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So for a couple of reasons, the Red Sox are playing it cautious with Anthony, even with the latest foot injury, undoubtedly to the frustration of most of their fan base.—
Jen McCaffrey,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2025
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While public support for cannabis legalization has grown, recent events indicate a more cautious approach.—
Matt Rozo,
Mercury News,
28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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That makes careful construction of games to maximize engagement vital, said Nate Jones, vice president of corporate strategy and development for Sony Interactive Entertainment, the PlayStation unit of Sony.—
David Bloom,
Forbes.com,
1 May 2025
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Wild first 20 minutes Most of this series has seen each team playing a very careful brand of hockey, feeling each other out in the first period, with few shots on goal and even fewer legitimate scoring opportunities.—
Josh Yohe,
New York Times,
1 May 2025
Adjective
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio, by contrast, was a vociferous critic of Mr. Putin during his Senate tenure and has struck a more skeptical tone.—
Michael Crowley,
New York Times,
2 May 2025
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Since no one on the team had ever excavated a chariot tire before, the archaeologists were initially skeptical.—
Sarah Kuta,
Smithsonian Magazine,
2 May 2025
Adjective
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After Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the American public has become even more distrustful of the Russian autocrat.—
MICHAEL McFAUL,
Foreign Affairs,
4 Apr. 2025
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But now, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, a growing number of Americans are distrustful when authorities go against something seemingly intuitive — like the idea that ingesting low levels of herbicides and heavy metals over your lifetime will be bad for your health.—
Greg Rosalsky,
NPR,
1 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Jockeying under a watchful Eye Amid widespread speculation over who will be the next pope, theologians say the faithful look at pre-conclave jockeying as a chance for the divine to intervene in human matters.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
3 May 2025
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China’s intelligence agency has also launched a very public campaign on social media over the last two years warning its citizens against spying for foreign nations and to keep a watchful eye out for espionage attempts.—
Nectar Gan,
CNN Money,
2 May 2025
Adjective
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Goldman downgraded the Club stock to hold from buy, saying this is now a show-me story.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
30 Apr. 2025
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For various examples and further detailed indications about the nature and use of the show-me versus tell-me prompting strategy, see my coverage at the link here.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gun-shy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gun-shy. Accessed 12 May. 2025.
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