as in naive
lacking in worldly wisdom or informed judgment
his persona may be that of an aw-shucks country singer, but offstage he is anything but
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Recent Examples of aw-shucks
But there was always more to Aydın than his aw-shucks dimples.
—
Moisés Naím, Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
Viewers who know him only as the New Age-y inspirational author Ricken Hale on Severance will be suitably creeped out by how effectively Chernus slides from an aw-shucks, salt-of-the-earth type to an assessing predator manipulating his victims into a sense of safety.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2025
The aw-shucks routine appeared carefully calibrated to reinforce his core message, framing Republicans as the reasonable stewards of government being thwarted by extremist Democrats.
—Bloomberg News, Boston Herald, 4 Oct. 2025
Played by the versatile Domhnall Gleeson, in a performance that couldn’t be more different from his memorably unnerving turns in The Patient and Black Mirror, incoming Truth-Teller editor-in-chief Ned Sampson has a sort of aw-shucks, pre-Ozark-Jason-Bateman vibe.
—Judy Berman, Time, 3 Sep. 2025
Like Francona, Miley’s aw-shucks facade belies an understanding of the game that borders on genius.
—C. Trent Rosecrans, New York Times, 16 June 2025
Monologuing for an hour and a half is no walk in the park, but the genial A-lister tackles the task at hand with aw-shucks charisma and confidence.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 13 June 2025
Almost immediately, Carrie made the character her own, bringing in a sort of aw-shucks Midwestern sweetness.
—Michelle King, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2025
Moisés Naím, Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
Viewers who know him only as the New Age-y inspirational author Ricken Hale on Severance will be suitably creeped out by how effectively Chernus slides from an aw-shucks, salt-of-the-earth type to an assessing predator manipulating his victims into a sense of safety.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2025
The aw-shucks routine appeared carefully calibrated to reinforce his core message, framing Republicans as the reasonable stewards of government being thwarted by extremist Democrats.
—Bloomberg News, Boston Herald, 4 Oct. 2025
Played by the versatile Domhnall Gleeson, in a performance that couldn’t be more different from his memorably unnerving turns in The Patient and Black Mirror, incoming Truth-Teller editor-in-chief Ned Sampson has a sort of aw-shucks, pre-Ozark-Jason-Bateman vibe.
—Judy Berman, Time, 3 Sep. 2025
Like Francona, Miley’s aw-shucks facade belies an understanding of the game that borders on genius.
—C. Trent Rosecrans, New York Times, 16 June 2025
Monologuing for an hour and a half is no walk in the park, but the genial A-lister tackles the task at hand with aw-shucks charisma and confidence.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 13 June 2025
Almost immediately, Carrie made the character her own, bringing in a sort of aw-shucks Midwestern sweetness.
—Michelle King, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for aw-shucks
Adjective
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Ma’s description of enormous, glistening grocery stores could be explained as the musings of a person who longs for stability and plentitude, or of a naive character who thinks of America as a land of boundless riches.—
Tope Folarin,
The Atlantic,
8 Nov. 2025
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But these juvenile white sharks may be naive to orcas.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
9 Nov. 2025
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Given sun in just the proper dose, which is no more than three or four hours of direct daily exposure, its innocent look of youth may persist for a decade.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
8 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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According to Bruce Blair, a former Air Force launch officer and nuclear policy expert, between 1962 and the mid-1970s the most powerful digits on the globe were simple – eight zeros.—
Charlotte Reck,
CNN Money,
9 Nov. 2025
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That something as simple as a COVID vaccine might improve survival in cancer patients receiving standard immunotherapy has taken oncologists by surprise — in a good way.—
Lisa Jarvis,
Twin Cities,
8 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Aw-shucks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/aw-shucks. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.
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