Quiet vs. Shy

I'm pretty sire you've heard these two adjectives before. But, do you know their differences and similarities? Wanna learn them? Well, come on in.

"Quiet" vs. "Shy" in English

What Is Their Main Difference?

Both describe someone/someone that does not make that much noise. However, a 'quiet' person is comfortable in their silence, whereas, a 'shy' person is usually quiet because they lack self-confidence and feel anxious in the company of other people. Also, note that 'quite' can also be used to describe a location.

Differences

As mentioned above, 'quiet' refers to someone/something mainly silent. In other words, it can describe a noiseless location or someone who makes little to no noise. Take a look at the following examples:

Jimmy is being too quiet today.

I need a quiet place to relax my mind a bit.

'Shy', however, mainly refers to people who are mainly silent because they lack self-confidence, fell anxious, and are not comfortable enough to be themselves around others. Take a look at the following examples below:

I remember how shy Mercy was when she was a little girl.

If you wanna be a teacher, you must know how to deal with shy students.

Similarities

As mentioned above, both describe someone silent that does not make that much sound. In other words, they do not speak at all. Look at the examples below:

Quiet people are my favorite kind of people.

There is nothing positive about being shy, my darling.

Are They Interchangeable?

Although they both refer to someone who makes little to no effort to speak, they cannot be used interchangeably because 'shy' refers to anxious people who lack self-confidence, whereas, 'quiet' refers to someone who is comfortable in their silence. Compare:

✓ I love it when everyone goes home and the city gets this quiet.

X I love it when everyone goes home and the city gets this shy.

As mentioned before, 'shy' cannot be used to describe other things.

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