as in naive
lacking in worldly wisdom or informed judgment
his persona may be that of an aw-shucks country singer, but offstage he is anything but
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Recent Examples of aw-shucks
His aw-shucks face was his biggest asset as Joe Biden and even the devil himself.
—
Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 13 Feb. 2025
So Far Quaid’s aw-shucks affability belies his constantly turning brain and his ambition to stretch beyond the bounds of what he’s done before.
—Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 4 Feb. 2025
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
Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 13 Feb. 2025
So Far Quaid’s aw-shucks affability belies his constantly turning brain and his ambition to stretch beyond the bounds of what he’s done before.
—Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 4 Feb. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for aw-shucks
Adjective
-
But in the transactional world of Trump, Musk, and DOGE, the concept of career civil servants taking lower-paying, apolitical work to serve an intangible greater good is naive at best.—
Adam Chandler,
TIME,
20 Feb. 2025
-
The idea sounds simple, even naive: Fix the money, fix the world.—
Bryan Benson,
Forbes,
19 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
This innocent man spent over three decades behind bars.—
Yash Roy,
CNN,
23 Feb. 2025
-
The stalking may just have been a way to bide time and screw up the courage for a dinner invite, but after their meal, Burt’s Outie might not be wholly innocent or trustworthy.—
Proma Khosla,
IndieWire,
22 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Its simple style can be dressed up with your best evening wear or paired with casual outfits to be your next wardrobe staple.—
Caley Sturgill,
Southern Living,
17 Feb. 2025
-
Styled by Dani Levi, Kardashian wore a simple floor-length bodycon gown from Balenciaga Couture.—
Mikelle Street,
WWD,
17 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Houde said these mammoth animals are a primitive group of proboscideans ('elephantoids') from which modern elephants evolved.—
Joseph J. Kolb,
Fox News,
18 July 2017
-
Many are primitive and remote, and don’t have restrooms or water.—
OregonLive.com,
OregonLive.com,
12 July 2017
Cite this Entry
“Aw-shucks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/aw-shucks. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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