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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for aw-shucks
Adjective
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The first big work people make, that first foray into the public eye, has something so naive about it.—
Simon Thompson,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2025
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But his answers Thursday painted the picture of an organization willing to trust internal answers over trading Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon or Michael Porter Jr. That is either delusional, naive, or both.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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The soap is said to smell like Sweeney’s childhood homeland, the Pacific Northwest, so anyone who has a warm and innocent association with that area’s pine, Douglas fir and earthy moss essence is likely to have that completely ruined.—
Christie D’Zurilla,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2025
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Al Nassr When a YouTuber named Abu Omar dared to do an innocent impression of supervillain Lionel Messi at the home of Cristiano Ronaldo, Al Nassr gave a calm and measured response.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
Adjective
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Trevon Williams, who did not escape from the New Orleans jail, was charged with 10 counts of being a principal to simple escape, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill announced on May 23.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
25 May 2025
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As artificial intelligence models grow increasingly sophisticated, their capabilities extend far beyond simple task execution.—
Cornelia C. Walther,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2025
Adjective
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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 3 Jun. 2025.
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