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
After a sheepish apology to the gallery, Wagner acknowledged the true difficulty of the shot.
—
Jeff Goudy, Forbes.com, 16 July 2025
The next person was passing through the gate, approaching the group with a sheepish smile.
—Clare Sestanovich, New Yorker, 13 July 2025
Everyone there loves to party, except for Saira (Shabana Azeez), the ruling queens’ only daughter, a sheepish 23-year-old with extreme self-esteem issues.
—Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 8 July 2025
Then Dimitrov suffered what looked like a serious pectoral injury on a serve in the third set and, just like that, Sinner advanced in the most sheepish way possible.
—Chris Branch, New York Times, 8 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for sheepish
Jeff Goudy, Forbes.com, 16 July 2025
The next person was passing through the gate, approaching the group with a sheepish smile.
—Clare Sestanovich, New Yorker, 13 July 2025
Everyone there loves to party, except for Saira (Shabana Azeez), the ruling queens’ only daughter, a sheepish 23-year-old with extreme self-esteem issues.
—Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 8 July 2025
Then Dimitrov suffered what looked like a serious pectoral injury on a serve in the third set and, just like that, Sinner advanced in the most sheepish way possible.
—Chris Branch, New York Times, 8 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for sheepish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sheepish
Adjective
-
However, at the Budapest world championships in 2023, Alfred was just shy of a podium finish in both of her events.—
Katelyn Hutchison,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Instead, the president hasn’t been shy about wanting elite colleges to foot the bill.—
Liam Knox,
Fortune,
14 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Set in Taiwan in 1988, Girl revolves around Hsiao-lee, a quiet and withdrawn girl, growing up in silent gloom.—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
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Unfortunately, further discussions were heated, with no resolve, just more withdrawn behavior while the communications continued.—
Jeanne Phillips,
Mercury News,
30 July 2025
Adjective
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The next morning, Onley was bashful at hearing that praise.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
22 July 2025
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Her brand of studied, bashful flightiness began to seem more passé than winkingly subversive.—
Mayukh Sen,
The Atlantic,
9 July 2025
Adjective
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In other instances, a lone fish can end up in its own cave.—
Karl Schneider,
IndyStar,
17 Sep. 2025
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The lone Chelsea goal was scored by Cole Palmer (29’).—
Manuel Veth,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sheepish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sheepish. Accessed 19 Sep. 2025.
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