sheepish
Americanadjective
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embarrassed or bashful, as by having done something wrong or foolish.
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like sheep, as in meekness, docility, etc.
adjective
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abashed or embarrassed, esp through looking foolish or being in the wrong
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resembling a sheep in timidity or lack of initiative
Other Word Forms
- sheepishly adverb
- sheepishness noun
Etymology
Origin of sheepish
First recorded in 1150–1200, sheepish is from the Middle English word shepisshe; sheep, -ish 1
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.
I felt sheepish when my partner caught me sneaking a cookie shortly after I had encouraged him to forgo dessert so we could “be healthy together.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 5, 2025
As “Alien: Earth” skitters toward its season finale, it’s clear that this being intends to do worse than its sheepish gaze lets on.
From Salon • Sep. 18, 2025
Neither Tongue, nor India's batters, seemed to know what was coming next, as the sheepish giggle after Jadeja's wicket suggested.
From BBC • Jul. 31, 2025
“But right now we’re in Bel-Air,” she says with a slightly sheepish expression on a recent morning.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2025
From his sheepish smile I knew that she had given him a real scolding.
From "Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution" by Ji-li Jiang
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
