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sheepish

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

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Etymology

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From Middle English schepische, shepisse, shepisshe; equivalent to sheep +‎ -ish.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈʃiːpɪʃ/
  • Audio (UK):(file)

Adjective

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sheepish (comparative more sheepish, superlative most sheepish)

  1. Having the characteristics of a sheep, as meekness, shyness, or docility.
    • 2025 May 11, Monica Padrick, “Don Tyxote” (15:04 from the start), in Krapopolis[1], season 2, episode 21, spoken by Tyrannis (Richard Ayoade):
      “King Ty? Your sister is back.” “I don't want to talk to her unless she's here to apologize. Does she look sheepish?” “I guess I've seen a sheep in a cage before, so, yeah, kind of.”
  2. Shy, meek, ashamed or embarrassed.
    a sheepish girl
    a sheepish grin

Derived terms

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Translations

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