as in shy
not comfortable around people
a sheepish scholar who is most comfortable when surrounded by books
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sheepish
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
My protagonist feels similarly sheepish about her inability to master another language.
—Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sheepish
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
My protagonist feels similarly sheepish about her inability to master another language.
—Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sheepish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sheepish
Adjective
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The evaluation puts dust events on par with natural disasters in terms of economic costs, eclipsing, for example, the 2017 wildfire season but shy of that year’s hurricane season, according to Irene Feng, the lead author of the 2024 study, who researched dust at the University of Texas at El Paso.—
Tony Briscoe,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Apr. 2026
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This season, a much more settle Mbappé has left the quarterfinals again but as the leading scorer with 15, two shy of Cristiano's Ronaldo record of 17 in a single season.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Parents report that many children stop eating, lose weight and become withdrawn.—
Mike Hixenbaugh,
NBC news,
6 Feb. 2026
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Along the way, Babilonia matured from the shy withdrawn child who refused to hold a boy’s hand into a bold, strong and confident woman.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The bashful display marks rock-bottom for Gabbard’s career.—
Aidan McLaughlin,
Vanity Fair,
19 Mar. 2026
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Meanwhile, some of Brady’s former teammates with the Patriots weren’t bashful about their loyalty heading into Super Bowl LX between the Patriots and Seattle Seahawks, including Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The lone shot that beat Hicks was a laser of a wrist shot by Zelenov, who used the defender to shield the release from Hicks’ vision.—
Scott Wheeler,
New York Times,
12 Apr. 2026
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The goal off the bouncing loose ball came in the same stadium where Lavelle scored the lone goal in Gotham FC’s title win over Washington.—
Christian Babcock,
Mercury News,
12 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sheepish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sheepish. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
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