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
Carpenter gets several musical numbers, an obvious but entertaining love triangle with a sheepish Kermit and an incandescently jealous Miss Piggy, and plenty of opportunities for self-aware, PG-13 humor.
—
Judy Berman, Time, 3 Feb. 2026
Even Eilish, who was 18 at the time, seemed sheepish about the size of her haul that night.
—Erin Vanderhoof, Vanity Fair, 29 Jan. 2026
If the rookie's intent is to keep playing in order to become more comfortable and get into a groove, that's something he can be commended on, as there are players in the NFL who may become sheepish about starting the week after their first start yields poor individual results.
—Robert Marvi, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2025
Putting it simply, Mackenzie’s a dork; a sheepish science guy whose awe of Samus and bumbling demeanor set the duo up as a typical odd couple.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 14 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sheepish
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Judy Berman, Time, 3 Feb. 2026
Even Eilish, who was 18 at the time, seemed sheepish about the size of her haul that night.
—Erin Vanderhoof, Vanity Fair, 29 Jan. 2026
If the rookie's intent is to keep playing in order to become more comfortable and get into a groove, that's something he can be commended on, as there are players in the NFL who may become sheepish about starting the week after their first start yields poor individual results.
—Robert Marvi, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2025
Putting it simply, Mackenzie’s a dork; a sheepish science guy whose awe of Samus and bumbling demeanor set the duo up as a typical odd couple.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 14 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sheepish
Cite this Entry
“Sheepish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sheepish. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sheepish
adjective
sheep·ish
ˈshē-pish 
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
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