aw-shucks

American

[aw-shuhks] / ˈɔˈʃʌks /

adjective

Informal.

characterized by a shy, embarrassed, often provincial manner.

aw-shucks British

/ ˌɔːˈʃʌks /

adjective

seeming to be modest, self-deprecating, or shy

don't be fooled by his aw-shucks attitude

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of aw-shucks

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

You’d have to imagine that the thoughts and doodles Lynch put down on napkins there ran counter to his aw-shucks public persona.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 16, 2025

And while Walz’s down-home, aw-shucks demeanor has captivated America, it’s also a sharp reminder of how different his finances are from those of the average politician.

From Slate • Aug. 8, 2024

Someone at the start of a promising career in journalism who is so aggressively flattering and greasily evasive, with a snap-on, snakelike, aw-shucks smile, has got to have a scheme up his sleeve.

From New York Times • Feb. 6, 2024

“We should not be fooled by his aw-shucks style,” Fea added in Current, an online journal.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 27, 2023

“I only saw Alaska, but Chip ran away, which struck me as cowardly, as does Miles and Takumi’s aw-shucks routine,” the Eagle said, giving me the Look of Doom.

From "Looking for Alaska" by John Green

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023