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
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
Eventually, Ackles gives him a sheepish grin as the video ends.
—Lauren Huff, EW.com, 25 Apr. 2024
Bragg himself has seemed almost sheepish about the Trump case, preferring to talk about tackling wage theft or creating a jail-diversion program.
—Michael Rothfeld Emily Woo Zeller Krish Seenivasan David Mason, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2024
Norman Mailer wrote with an unstable mixture of self-indulgence and self-awareness, bravado and diffidence, glibness and bracing honesty, macho posturing and an almost sheepish gentleness.
—Andrew Delbanco, The New York Review of Books, 28 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for sheepish 
Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 3 May 2024
Eventually, Ackles gives him a sheepish grin as the video ends.
—Lauren Huff, EW.com, 25 Apr. 2024
Bragg himself has seemed almost sheepish about the Trump case, preferring to talk about tackling wage theft or creating a jail-diversion program.
—Michael Rothfeld Emily Woo Zeller Krish Seenivasan David Mason, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2024
Norman Mailer wrote with an unstable mixture of self-indulgence and self-awareness, bravado and diffidence, glibness and bracing honesty, macho posturing and an almost sheepish gentleness.
—Andrew Delbanco, The New York Review of Books, 28 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for sheepish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sheepish
Adjective
-
The club has an owner in David Tepper who isn’t shy to take big swings.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
22 Jan. 2025
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The team’s 502 points marked just the second time in franchise history that Tampa Bay totaled over 500 points and was just nine points shy of matching the franchise-best mark of 511 points in 2021.—
Jeff Howe,
The Athletic,
22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Pettersson is more withdrawn, more cerebral, more sensitive and certainly not prone to confrontation by nature.—
Chris Johnston,
The Athletic,
6 Jan. 2025
-
Introverts may become talkative, or extroverts quiet and withdrawn.—
Dr. Talia Varley,
Forbes,
16 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Gemma the rescue dog's bashful streak has propelled the video to over 4.7 million views on TikTok.—
Paul Du Quenoy,
Newsweek,
9 Jan. 2025
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Tempranillo There’s nothing bashful about Triple-Chocolate Truffles, Peanut Butter Truffles, and Buckeyes.—
Karla Walsh,
Better Homes & Gardens,
19 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
Meanwhile, the Jets haven’t played in a Super Bowl since their lone win in January 1969.—
Joseph Wilkinson,
New York Daily News,
26 Jan. 2025
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Morley, however, sees the unreleased files as a potential treasure trove of information that could undermine the lone gunman theory.—
Gordon G. Chang,
Newsweek,
25 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near sheepish
Cite this Entry
“Sheepish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sheepish. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
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