: being or marked by an unsophisticated, self-conscious, or self-effacing manner
an aw-shucks grin

Examples of aw-shucks in a Sentence

his persona may be that of an aw-shucks country singer, but offstage he is anything but
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Profiles invariably zeroed in on his combination of dogged perseverance and an aw-shucks approach to his task. Clay Risen, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2025 Sadler was an aw-shucks, yes-sir, no-ma’am twangy singer who was raised in Texas. Keith Sharon, The Tennessean, 20 Dec. 2024 Gillis, with his aw-shucks demeanor and decidedly un-PC comedy, represents exactly the kind of normal-guy sensibility Bud Light desperately needs to appeal to after alienating its core audience. Dan Perry, Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2024 Part of Allen’s aw-shucks charm has been carrying himself as just one of the guys, always approachable and eager to please. Tim Graham, The Athletic, 23 July 2024 McCain, played by Jason Tam, is presented as an aw-shucks straight man who can’t believe what his party has come to. Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2024 And for a long time, Mr. Justice and his family’s companies have managed to stave off one threat after another with wily legal tactics notably at odds with the aw-shucks persona that has endeared him to so many West Virginians. Maureen Farrell, New York Times, 12 May 2024 Damon’s Tom does transform, but the actor’s aw-shucks wholesomeness in early scenes fails to persuasively foreshadow the protagonist’s violent potential. Judy Berman, TIME, 4 Apr. 2024 The aw-shucks, nose-to-the-grindstone image is the real deal, insist friends and family from back in the sprawling Phoenix suburbs. Julia Prodis Sulek, The Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1932, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of aw-shucks was in 1932

Dictionary Entries Near aw-shucks

Cite this Entry

“Aw-shucks.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aw-shucks. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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