as in bashfulness
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Recent Examples of sheepishness
Still, his courtiers seemed to be encouraging him to lean into sheepishness.
—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 20 May 2026
Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 20 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sheepishness
Noun
-
Her skin—something known as Frubber, a porous patented blend of fleshlike elastic polymers—stretched over a structure of plastic and titanium, and there was no flicker of bashfulness.—
Dan Turello,
New Yorker,
10 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Celik seems attuned to such questions as a valid (if not necessarily revelatory) core for a play to circle around, but Cramer’s writing often feels caught between an exploration of comic diffidence and simply an expression of it.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
30 Mar. 2026
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As Michael, a bathroom and kitchen fixture wholesaler, Dan Donohue’s performance is riveting in its expansion from awkward diffidence to unbridled savagery while revealing his inner core.—
Christopher Smith,
Oc Register,
2 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
But what is different about the downfall of Starmer, which is now under way, has been the timidity of his premiership, its chronic self-doubt, as if its voice were permanently stuck in its throat.—
Sam Knight,
New Yorker,
14 May 2026
-
But our delay and our timidity continue to cause unimaginable human suffering.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The Denver Post editorial is a master class in timidness and in saying nothing of import.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
20 May 2026
-
Wilder was not stuck in the state of inertia that plagued him against Parker or the timidness against Zhang.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
There was no awkwardness or shyness.—
Andrew McGowan,
Variety,
23 May 2026
-
Historically, in situations involving large numbers of dogs, rescue teams have reported the animals to be agitated, stressed and fearful of human interaction (resulting in shyness or aggression).—
Moná Thomas,
PEOPLE,
22 May 2026
Noun
-
Writing in the early 1890s, Nadar deployed Balzac’s reported initial mistrust and later acquiescence to the daguerreotype as an allegory of larger significance for understanding the history of invention.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Apr. 2026
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But as the sexist and racist nature of the MAGA machine has gained mainstream acquiescence if not acceptance, the need to keep up the appearance of diversity is less and less.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The service ethos is more discreet deference than chatty confidence.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
-
Your culture of urgency and deference is not a weakness in your people.—
Jason Walker PsyD,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
Attraction is a function of parentage and looks and submissiveness.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
6 May 2026
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But for Coles, his indoctrination to law enforcement has been a different level of submissiveness.—
Dan Pompei,
New York Times,
2 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sheepishness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sheepishness. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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