sheepish

adjective

sheep·​ish ˈshē-pish How to pronounce sheepish (audio)
1
: resembling a sheep: such as
a
: meek, timid
b
: stupid
2
: affected by or showing embarrassment caused by consciousness of a fault
a sheepish grin
sheepishly adverb
sheepishness noun

Examples of sheepish in a Sentence

He felt a little sheepish. a sheepish scholar who is most comfortable when surrounded by books
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Musk has not been sheepish about staking the company’s future on autonomous software. Ryan Hogg, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2024 The scene where Acuña calls Drake’s mom to tell her that her son is (temporarily) out of the band, while a sheepish Drake stands nearby him, is sufficiently intense to make a viewer cringe with sympathetic embarrassment. Joe Leydon, Variety, 30 Aug. 2024 Schiller, who has been overseeing the iPhone app store since its inception in 2008, made the admission during occasionally sheepish testimony about the new payment options that so far have been shunned by all but a few dozen apps since their introduction in January. Michael Liedtke, Fortune, 23 May 2024 No one can argue with that, least of all the two company reps, both of whom by this point have been reduced to sheepish nods. Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 3 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for sheepish 

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of sheepish was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near sheepish

Cite this Entry

“Sheepish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sheepish. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

sheepish

adjective
sheep·​ish ˈshē-pish How to pronounce sheepish (audio)
1
: resembling a sheep (as in being meek or shy)
2
: embarrassed especially over being found out in a fault
a sheepish look
sheepishly adverb
sheepishness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on sheepish

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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