sheepishness

Definition of sheepishnessnext

Example Sentences

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
  • 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
  • This idea of reasonableness is easily caricatured as moral timidity or a bloodless neutrality that drains politics of passion.
    Nikhil Krishnan, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
  • But our delay and our timidity continue to cause unimaginable human suffering.
    Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 13 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • In Atlanta, some people living with SAD, as well as social phobia or even simple shyness, are facing their fears in a novel way.
    Hunter Boyce, AJC.com, 24 Mar. 2026
  • But shyness and cluelessness kept me from making my rendezvous with the guy that was to aid in that connection.
    Jody Mamone, Hartford Courant, 16 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • 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
  • Moss’ dour expression, over-relied upon for silent exposition throughout six seasons, conveys terror in the here and now, as well as for a future where fear is replaced by acquiescence.
    Ben Travers, IndieWire, 2 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Courts also accord high deference to arbitration decisions and require extraordinary findings to vacate an arbitration award, meaning arbitration decisions are normally not disturbed or challenged.
    Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 15 Apr. 2026
  • In spite of a seismic crossing of the technological Rubicon, an abandonment of the centuries-old deference to the naked eye, a codifying and calcifying of the most atomic-level building block of the sport, baseball mostly just looked like baseball.
    Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 31 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • But for Coles, his indoctrination to law enforcement has been a different level of submissiveness.
    Dan Pompei, New York Times, 2 Dec. 2025
  • In Killers of the Flower Moon, his Ernest Burkhart starts off as a mopey, weak-minded World War One veteran, eager to do anything for his godfather uncle (Robert De Niro), but there’s still a certain likability to his dim-bulb submissiveness.
    Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • That reflects an unserious passivity that permeates every level of the Sky organization.
    Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2026
  • The three goals following Erling Haaland’s penalty showcased Liverpool’s passivity and, at times, apparent lack of desire.
    Andy Jones, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Cite this Entry

“Sheepishness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sheepishness. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.

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