as in shy
not comfortable around people
a sheepish scholar who is most comfortable when surrounded by books
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Recent Examples of sheepish
In the first earnings call after its catastrophic rebrand, which triggered an immediate customer backlash and forced a sheepish reversal, the company reported a 5.4% increase in comparable store restaurant sales and a 4.4% revenue gain in fourth quarter 2025, adjusting for the 53rd week in 2024.
—
Pamela N. Danziger, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Photos from their wedding ceremony, which took place at the Carlton Hotel in Prestwick, Scotland, show a tall, dark-haired man in a suit standing among the other guests — and appearing a bit sheepish — per BBC Scotland.
—Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2025
That’s the only real plot-adjacent snippet in the clip, though there’s also a quick shot of Trump descending the steps of Air Force One with his sheepish-looking lover Satan following behind him.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2025
As the initially sheepish Lorraine, Ortega does some of her most subtle work here.
—Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sheepish
Pamela N. Danziger, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Photos from their wedding ceremony, which took place at the Carlton Hotel in Prestwick, Scotland, show a tall, dark-haired man in a suit standing among the other guests — and appearing a bit sheepish — per BBC Scotland.
—Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2025
That’s the only real plot-adjacent snippet in the clip, though there’s also a quick shot of Trump descending the steps of Air Force One with his sheepish-looking lover Satan following behind him.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2025
As the initially sheepish Lorraine, Ortega does some of her most subtle work here.
—Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sheepish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sheepish
Adjective
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Running back Ryan Walters was just shy of 100 yards picking up 99 on 16 carries.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 Nov. 2025
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Now McCaffrey is four yards shy of reaching 600 rushing yards and joining a club with Marshall Faulk and Brian Westbrook as the only NFL players with four seasons of 600-plus yards both rushing and receiving.—
Cam Inman,
Mercury News,
8 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Set in Taiwan in 1988, Girl revolves around Hsiao-lee, a quiet and withdrawn girl, growing up in silent gloom.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
5 Aug. 2025
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Unfortunately, further discussions were heated, with no resolve, just more withdrawn behavior while the communications continued.—
Jeanne Phillips,
Mercury News,
30 July 2025
Adjective
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At times, the new mom gets bashful about the attention she’s received since returning to the team.—
Sean Neumann,
PEOPLE,
3 Oct. 2025
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Livestreaming isn’t the same as actually being there and seeing the fabric flow, the textures, the audience reaction and the bashful designer with their head down, forced onto the runway at the end of each show.—
Nadja Sayej,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The lone wire fraud charge accuses Lillig of fraudulently acquiring a gift card worth $500 in November 2020.—
Nathan Pilling,
Kansas City Star,
6 Nov. 2025
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Twelve years ago, his field-stretching threat and an 87-yard kickoff return for a touchdown assisted Seattle’s lone Super Bowl victory.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sheepish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sheepish. Accessed 20 Nov. 2025.
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