sheepish

adjective

sheep·​ish ˈshē-pish 

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

Synonyms of sheepish

• shy
• withdrawn
• bashful
• lone

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

Sugano walked off the mound with a sheepish grin. —Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 5 Apr. 2026

The video feed suddenly cut out, replaced by a view inside the White Flight Control Room here at NASA's Johnson Space Center while flight controllers prepared a response that sounded a bit sheepish. —Tariq Malik, Space.com, 4 Apr. 2026

The Grammy winner made his sheepish confession during an appearance on Brittany Broski's Royal Court on Wednesday. —Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Feb. 2026

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

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids 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