sheepishly
Americanadverb
Etymology
Origin of sheepishly
Explanation
Doing something sheepishly means expressing your embarrassment and shyness about it, like when you sheepishly admit how much you love watching soap operas on TV with your grandparents. When you think about how timid and shy a flock of sheep can be, the adverb sheepishly will make perfect sense. Anyone who acts in a way that betrays their shame and bashfulness is behaving sheepishly. You may smile sheepishly at your dad when he discovers you ate the last brownie or shrug your shoulders sheepishly when you teacher asks why you didn't finish your homework.
Vocabulary lists containing sheepishly
Ghost
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
myPerspectives 8.1
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Brian's Winter
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
When one researcher sheepishly named their number, it was $100 million.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 20, 2025
Ninety minutes later, he sheepishly retracted the statement.
From Salon • Sep. 17, 2025
"I don't know if I can say this, but I'm a crazy fan of Coldplay, so when they said, 'Do you want to come and play?' I was like, 'No way!'" she laughs, sheepishly.
From BBC • Aug. 22, 2025
Vanessa sheepishly admits she used to argue with her teachers when she started at secondary school "because I didn't get my own way".
From BBC • Aug. 16, 2025
He seemed to regret immediately this last remark and looked at me sheepishly, as though expecting me to say something comforting back to him.
From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro
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.
