sheepishly

comparative more sheepishly · superlative most sheepishly

1. In a sheepish way; shyly; meekly; bashfully; self-consciously; with embarrassment.

   Renton’s big mistake is sheepishly to offer Sick Boy his stolen share 20 years on: £4,000 in a crumpled brown envelope. “What am I supposed to buy with that?” rages Sick Boy bitterly later. “A time machine?”

   2017 January 19, Peter Bradshaw, “T2 Trainspotting review – choose a sequel that doesn't disappoint”, in The Guardian

   1 more example

   But Frank Fairbanks, a retired public administrator, had to sheepishly acknowledge that he had grass. “Unfortunately, like many of our central Phoenix neighbors, we have a green lawn which consumes more water than xeriscape,” he told the paper.

   2011 April 9, Marc Lacey, “Spraying to Make Yards Green ... but With Paint, Not Water”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 12 Nov 2020

   Synonyms: abashedly, meekly, self-consciously, shyly, timidly, bashfully