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
Like Francona, Miley’s aw-shucks facade belies an understanding of the game that borders on genius.
—
C. Trent Rosecrans, New York Times, 16 June 2025
Monologuing for an hour and a half is no walk in the park, but the genial A-lister tackles the task at hand with aw-shucks charisma and confidence.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 13 June 2025
Wilson puts most of his aw-shucks charm to the side to play this spacey wannabe, portraying Eli instead with a pitiable whine or some far-out detachment.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 12 June 2025
Almost immediately, Carrie made the character her own, bringing in a sort of aw-shucks Midwestern sweetness.
—Michelle King, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2025
Nimmo has matured from an aw-shucks kid from Wyoming into a verifiable team leader, a guy who cried tears of joy on the field last season when the Mets clinched their first postseason series at Citi Field.
—Tim Britton, New York Times, 30 May 2025
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
C. Trent Rosecrans, New York Times, 16 June 2025
Monologuing for an hour and a half is no walk in the park, but the genial A-lister tackles the task at hand with aw-shucks charisma and confidence.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 13 June 2025
Wilson puts most of his aw-shucks charm to the side to play this spacey wannabe, portraying Eli instead with a pitiable whine or some far-out detachment.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 12 June 2025
Almost immediately, Carrie made the character her own, bringing in a sort of aw-shucks Midwestern sweetness.
—Michelle King, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2025
Nimmo has matured from an aw-shucks kid from Wyoming into a verifiable team leader, a guy who cried tears of joy on the field last season when the Mets clinched their first postseason series at Citi Field.
—Tim Britton, New York Times, 30 May 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for aw-shucks
Adjective
-
Even Portugal, who have been naive defensively but have considerable pace in attack, could threaten in transition, and Italy will need to shore up that element of their game to avoid being caught out.—
Cerys Jones,
New York Times,
4 July 2025
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How did an obscure, scientifically naive mining society discover the wheel, when highly advanced civilizations, such as the ancient Egyptians, did not?—
Kai James,
JSTOR Daily,
3 July 2025
Adjective
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That includes sparklers, which may look more innocent but can get up to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit.—
Bruce Y. Lee,
Forbes.com,
4 July 2025
-
So far, the city's liability insurance carriers have agreed to pay nearly $27 million to settle four civil rights lawsuits alleging detectives — including some identified by multiple former officers as Wolverines — framed innocent people.—
Kristine Phillips,
IndyStar,
4 July 2025
Adjective
-
Nearby is the kitchen, which is compact and simple as standard.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
11 July 2025
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Chris wore a simple navy blue polo shirt and khaki shorts combo, while Alexa showed off her growing bump in a white and blue floral dress — along with an Olympic logo necklace to complete her maternity style.—
Kayla Grant,
People.com,
11 July 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
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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 19 Jul. 2025.
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