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
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
Eventually, Ackles gives him a sheepish grin as the video ends.
—Lauren Huff, EW.com, 25 Apr. 2024
See All Example Sentences for sheepish
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
Eventually, Ackles gives him a sheepish grin as the video ends.
—Lauren Huff, EW.com, 25 Apr. 2024
See All Example Sentences for sheepish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sheepish
Adjective
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By the end of regulation, Nylander had played only 15.5 minutes, a smidge less than Tavares, who was just shy of 16.—
Jonas Siegel,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2025
-
Mostly cloudy skies will keep temperatures around 65 degrees in the metro Saturday, which is just a few degrees shy of the average of 68 for this time of year.—
Robert A. Cronkleton,
Kansas City Star,
26 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Its influence on the withdrawn protagonist, Jamie (played by Owen Cooper), is largely implied.—
Paula Mejía,
The Atlantic,
16 Apr. 2025
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The withdrawn San Francisco drama, about lonely nonbinary nanny and restaurant server Cass (Asia Kate Dillon), is simple in its presentation, but disguises numerous layers to its story.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
17 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Cher was bashful to be busted but then couldn’t help laughing out loud at the audacity.—
Brie Stimson,
FOXNews.com,
3 Apr. 2025
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Or maybe the movie’s stars are just feeling a bit bashful!—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
11 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Eichel’s lone hat trick of the season came on March 25 at Xcel Energy Center in a 5-1 win over the Wild.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
19 Apr. 2025
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Coogler wrote Remmick as an empathetic and charismatic villain — so much so that IndieWire critic David Ehrlich’s lone knock on the film is that, by design, the darkness of the vampires is more about the fun of being alive than the usual horror movie terror.—
Chris O'Falt,
IndieWire,
19 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sheepish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sheepish. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
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