as in humbly
in a manner showing no signs of pride or self-assertion
the younger boy, who idolized the older one, would sheepishly follow him around and be at his beck and call
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Recent Examples of sheepishly
Lateef sheepishly raked his hand through his hair.
—
Literary Hub, 24 Apr. 2026
Kayumi then appeared to sheepishly shrink in his chair.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 9 Mar. 2026
Liu sheepishly turned and applauded the 17-year-old Nakai, who raced over and hugged her.
—Dave Skretta, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2026
Hisatsune sent roars through the stadium par-3 16th by sinking a 7-foot birdie putt and smiled sheepishly at his chip in on 17 after hitting his tee shot left into the pond.
—Dallas Morning News, 6 Feb. 2026
Shields, 62, sheepishly joked after two false starts.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 28 Nov. 2025
An engineer with a litter-picker grabbed the fallen cloth and sheepishly moved it behind the machine, out of my line of sight.
—Billy Perrigo, Time, 14 Oct. 2025
In Inwood, even a pair of volunteers for Cuomo sheepishly stopped him for selfies.
—Eric Lach, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2025
Outside the house, Jake finally gets a hold of Anna, and sheepishly threatens to fire her in a way that suggests our guy doesn’t exactly maintain professional boundaries with his attractive young staffers.
—Andy Andersen, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2025
Literary Hub, 24 Apr. 2026
Kayumi then appeared to sheepishly shrink in his chair.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 9 Mar. 2026
Liu sheepishly turned and applauded the 17-year-old Nakai, who raced over and hugged her.
—Dave Skretta, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2026
Hisatsune sent roars through the stadium par-3 16th by sinking a 7-foot birdie putt and smiled sheepishly at his chip in on 17 after hitting his tee shot left into the pond.
—Dallas Morning News, 6 Feb. 2026
Shields, 62, sheepishly joked after two false starts.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 28 Nov. 2025
An engineer with a litter-picker grabbed the fallen cloth and sheepishly moved it behind the machine, out of my line of sight.
—Billy Perrigo, Time, 14 Oct. 2025
In Inwood, even a pair of volunteers for Cuomo sheepishly stopped him for selfies.
—Eric Lach, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2025
Outside the house, Jake finally gets a hold of Anna, and sheepishly threatens to fire her in a way that suggests our guy doesn’t exactly maintain professional boundaries with his attractive young staffers.
—Andy Andersen, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sheepishly
Adverb
-
Some films herald the scope of their ambitions from the opening frame, whereas others start humbly with a mastery that slowly comes to the fore.—
Sophie Monks Kaufman,
IndieWire,
20 May 2026
-
Intricate details of both spacecraft stages, down to some individual rivets, can be seen along the spacecraft hulls, while Earth hangs humbly in the background on the bottom half of the frame.—
Josh Dinner,
Space.com,
18 May 2026
Adverb
-
Whether a man chose to use that pistol or meekly give up the money to a robber was up to him.—
Richard Selcer,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
25 Apr. 2026
-
That was checkmate, as Martinez grounded out meekly to end the season.—
Tyler Kepner,
New York Times,
4 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Three sitting rooms are complemented by a further three members’ social spaces for carousing in, concealed behind a subtle screen (here, DJs including Goldierocks make appearances, and mobile snaps are banned; staff politely place a sticker over mobile camera lenses).—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
18 May 2026
-
As the credits rolled, the audience clapped politely.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
17 May 2026
Adverb
-
Outwardly Smart behaved submissively, following her captors’ instructions while always looking for a way to escape.—
KC Baker,
PEOPLE,
15 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sheepishly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sheepishly. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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