sheepish

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   embarrassed or ashamed, especially after being caught making a mistake

   He gave a sheepish smile when everyone noticed that he had taken the wrong coat.

2. 2
   adj

   meek, timid, or awkward in a way traditionally associated with sheep

   Her sheepish manner disappeared as soon as the debate began.

From Middle English shepish, formed from sheep + -ish. It first meant sheep-like, especially meek or timid; by the seventeenth century it had developed the now-dominant sense of looking foolishly embarrassed or ashamed.

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