- sheepish
- sheepish c.1200, "resembling a sheep in some characteristic," from SHEEP (Cf. sheep). The sense of "bashful" first is recorded 1690s. Related: Sheepishly.
Etymology dictionary. 2014.
sheepish
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Sheepish — Sheep ish, a. 1. Of or pertaining to sheep. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] 2. Like a sheep; bashful; over modest; meanly or foolishly diffident; timorous to excess. [1913 Webster] Wanting change of company, he will, when he comes abroad, be a sheepish or… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
sheepish — index diffident Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
sheepish — [adj] shy, embarrassed abashed, ashamed, chagrined, diffident, docile, foolish, guilty, mortified, retiring, self conscious, shamefaced, silly, tame, timid, timorous, uncomfortable; concept 401 Ant. aggressive, bold, unashamed, unembarrassed … New thesaurus
sheepish — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ embarrassed from shame or shyness. DERIVATIVES sheepishly adverb sheepishness noun … English terms dictionary
sheepish — [shēpish] adj. [ME shepisse, like a sheep] 1. a) embarrassed as because of feeling chagrin b) awkwardly shy or bashful 2. resembling sheep in meekness, timidity, etc. sheepishly adv. sheepishness n … English World dictionary
sheepish — sheep|ish [ˈʃi:pıʃ] adj slightly uncomfortable or embarrassed because you know that you have done something silly or wrong ▪ Sam looked a bit sheepish. ▪ a sheepish grin >sheepishly adv ▪ She smiled sheepishly … Dictionary of contemporary English
sheepish — [[t]ʃi͟ːpɪʃ[/t]] ADJ GRADED If you look sheepish, you look slightly embarrassed because you feel foolish or you have done something silly. I asked him why. He looked a little sheepish when he answered. Derived words: sheepishly ADV GRADED He… … English dictionary
sheepish — /ˈʃipɪʃ / (say sheepish) adjective 1. awkwardly bashful or embarrassed: *Kevin Condon, whose sheepish smile is that of a good schoolboy who knows he should not be here. –c.j. koch, 1978. 2. like sheep, as in meekness, timidity, etc. {sheep +… …
sheepish — adjective Date: 13th century 1. resembling a sheep in meekness, stupidity, or timidity 2. affected by or showing embarrassment caused by consciousness of a fault < a sheepish grin > • sheepishly adverb • sheepishness noun … New Collegiate Dictionary
sheepish — adj. Sheepish is used with these nouns: ↑grin, ↑look, ↑smile … Collocations dictionary
