sheepish

/'ʃi:piʃ/

Thân thiện

He gave a sheepish grin after spilling his drink.

Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Feeling or showing embarrassment, especially due to awareness of having done something foolish or wrong: Expressing a mild, somewhat bashful shame or awkwardness.
   • Resembling a sheep in being meek, timid, or docile: Suggesting a lack of assertiveness or confidence.

Usage

• The primary use of sheepish is to describe a person's facial expression, demeanor, or feeling when they are mildly ashamed, embarrassed, or awkward, often after a mistake or being caught doing something.
• It can also describe a general personality trait of excessive meekness or timidity.

Examples

• Showing embarrassment:
  • He gave a sheepish grin after realizing his mistake.
  • She was sheepish about forgetting her friend's birthday.
• Showing meekness/timidity:
  • The new intern had a sheepish manner when speaking to the CEO.

Advanced Usage

• "sheepish look/grin/smile": A very common collocation to describe the specific embarrassed expression.
  • He had a sheepish look on his face when he walked in late.
• "feel sheepish": To experience the feeling of being sheepish.
  • I felt rather sheepish for having complained so much.

Variants and Related Words

• Sheepishly (adverb): In a sheepish manner.
  • He smiled sheepishly and apologized.
• Sheepishness (noun): The quality or state of being sheepish.
  • His sheepishness was evident to everyone in the room.

Synonyms

• Abashed: Embarrassed or disconcerted.
• Chagrined: Feeling distressed or humiliated.
• Crestfallen: Sad and disappointed.
• Meek: Quiet, gentle, and easily imposed on; submissive.
• Bashful: Reluctant to draw attention to oneself; shy.

Antonyms

• Unabashed: Not embarrassed, disconcerted, or ashamed.
• Assertive: Having or showing a confident and forceful personality.
• Bold: Showing a willingness to take risks; confident and courageous.

Idioms and Common Phrases

• "Like a sheepish schoolboy": A simile used to emphasize an extreme level of awkward, guilty embarrassment.
  • The politician stood before the press, looking like a sheepish schoolboy caught cheating.

Học thuật

Adjective

1. showing a sense of shame
2. like or suggestive of a sheep in docility or stupidity or meekness or timidity

Từ đồng nghĩa

• shamefaced
• sheeplike