sheepish

adjective

sheep·​ish ˈshē-pish 

1

: resembling a sheep: such as

a

: meek, timid

b

: stupid

2

: affected by or showing embarrassment caused by consciousness of a fault

a sheepish grin

sheepishly adverb

sheepishness noun

Synonyms

• backward
• bashful
• coy
• demure
• diffident
• introverted
• modest
• recessive
• retiring
• self-effacing
• shy
• withdrawn

Examples of sheepish in a Sentence

He felt a little sheepish.

a sheepish scholar who is most comfortable when surrounded by books

Recent Examples on the Web

Musk has not been sheepish about staking the company’s future on autonomous software. —Ryan Hogg, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2024

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

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

sheepish

adjective

sheep·​ish ˈshē-pish 

1

: resembling a sheep (as in being meek or shy)

2

: embarrassed especially over being found out in a fault

a sheepish look

sheepishly adverb

sheepishness noun