: 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.
The connections Plunkett draws between Frost’s lyric poems and their literary influences are valuable, particularly for anyone taken in by Frost’s aw-shucks persona. Maggie Doherty, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025 Image The Killer Inside Me By Jim Thompson From the outside, Lou Ford seems to be every bit the easygoing, aw-shucks deputy sheriff of a small Texas town. S.a. Cosby, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2025 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

Word History

First Known Use

1932, in the meaning defined above

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

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Cite this Entry

“Aw-shucks.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aw-shucks. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.

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