Like someone hesitant to make the first move, perhaps

The answer to “Like someone hesitant to make the first move, perhaps” in the USA Today crossword is SHY — a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the USA Today crossword on September 19, 2026, a Saturday puzzle, at 4-Down. Below you'll find why that fill fits, every other answer we've recorded for this clue, and links into the puzzle it came from.

“Like someone hesitant to make the first move, perhaps” answer

SHY (3 letters)

Reveal the solution one letter at a time with the tiles above if you'd rather nudge yourself toward it than see the whole word at once. Just want it outright? The answer is SHY.

Why the answer is SHY

A reserved person may seem this way in a new romantic situation. 😊

What does SHY mean?

Reading the plain dictionary sense of SHY is often the fastest way to see why it answers this clue.

When else has “Like someone hesitant to make the first move, perhaps” appeared?

USA Today reuses clues across dates, sometimes with a different answer depending on the grid. Here's where this exact clue has shown up, and what the answer was each time — handy when you're checking whether today's fill is the only one.

September 19, 2026 (most recent) → SHY. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

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