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
Photos from their wedding ceremony, which took place at the Carlton Hotel in Prestwick, Scotland, show a tall, dark-haired man in a suit standing among the other guests — and appearing a bit sheepish — per BBC Scotland.
—
Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2025
That’s the only real plot-adjacent snippet in the clip, though there’s also a quick shot of Trump descending the steps of Air Force One with his sheepish-looking lover Satan following behind him.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2025
The three girls pose with Araújo and Filippo, looking simultaneously sheepish and thrilled.
—Rebecca Jennings, Vulture, 21 Aug. 2025
As the initially sheepish Lorraine, Ortega does some of her most subtle work here.
—Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sheepish
Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2025
That’s the only real plot-adjacent snippet in the clip, though there’s also a quick shot of Trump descending the steps of Air Force One with his sheepish-looking lover Satan following behind him.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2025
The three girls pose with Araújo and Filippo, looking simultaneously sheepish and thrilled.
—Rebecca Jennings, Vulture, 21 Aug. 2025
As the initially sheepish Lorraine, Ortega does some of her most subtle work here.
—Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sheepish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sheepish
Adjective
-
That’s just shy of the $15 million to $25 million that box office analysts had predicted.—
Sarah Whitten,
CNBC,
28 Sep. 2025
-
Once approached by the director, the women were hardly camera-shy.—
Christopher Vourlias,
Variety,
27 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Set in Taiwan in 1988, Girl revolves around Hsiao-lee, a quiet and withdrawn girl, growing up in silent gloom.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
5 Aug. 2025
-
Unfortunately, further discussions were heated, with no resolve, just more withdrawn behavior while the communications continued.—
Jeanne Phillips,
Mercury News,
30 July 2025
Adjective
-
Livestreaming isn’t the same as actually being there and seeing the fabric flow, the textures, the audience reaction and the bashful designer with their head down, forced onto the runway at the end of each show.—
Nadja Sayej,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
-
Conrad is gorgeous yet bashful.—
Stephanie McNeal,
Glamour,
18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The team’s lone major free-agent signing in the 2020s has backfired in spectacular fashion.—
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
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The drama follows Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland) as a detective called in to investigate the 1987 massacre of four scientists brutally murdered in inexplicable ways, with a lone survivor the obvious suspect.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
1 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sheepish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sheepish. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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