English Explanatory Dictionary

shame

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. An uncomfortable or painful feeling due to recognition or consciousness of one's own impropriety or dishonor, or something being exposed that should have been kept private.
  2. Something to regret.
  3. Reproach incurred or suffered; dishonour; ignominy; derision.
  4. The cause or reason of shame; that which brings reproach and ignominy.
  5. That which is shameful and private, especially private parts.
  6. The capacity to be ashamed, inhibiting one from brazen behaviour; due regard for one's own moral conduct and how one is perceived by others; restraint, moderation, decency.
intj
  1. A cry of admonition for the subject of a speech, either to denounce the speaker or to agree with the speaker's denunciation of some person or matter; often used reduplicated, especially in political debates.
  2. Ellipsis of what a shame; expressing disappointment or sympathy
adj
  1. Embarrassed and shy, particularly because one is the subject of attention.
  2. Causing embarrassment or shyness.
verb
  1. To cause to feel shame.
  2. To cover with reproach or ignominy; to dishonor; to disgrace.
  3. To denounce as having done something shameful; to criticize with the intent or effect of causing a feeling of shame.
  4. To drive or compel by shame.
  5. To feel shame, be ashamed.
  6. To mock at; to deride.

Pronunciation

/ʃeɪm/ en-us-shame.ogg

Word forms

shame shames more shame most shame shaming shamed no-table-tags glossary shamest shamedst shameth

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *skamō Proto-West Germanic *skamu Old English sċamu Middle English schame English shame From Middle English schame, from Old English sċamu, from Proto-Germanic *skamō. Cognates *German Scham (“shame”) *German Low German Schaam (“shame, shamefacedness”) *Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, Swedish skam (“shame”) *Faroese skomm (“shame, dishonour”) *Icelandic skömm (“shame”) *Gothic 𐍃𐌺𐌰𐌼𐌰 (skama, “shame”).

Synonyms

also: Thesaurus:shame abasement disgrace dishonour embarrassment hurt ignominy obloquy opprobrium shame unhonour dishonor humiliation mortification pity what a pity bad luck cuhdear hard lines hard luck too bad tough luck what a shame worse luck abash demean humiliate insult mortify confound

Antonyms

honor exaltation dignify

Related words

disrepute embarrassed abash

Derived words

15 minutes of shame ain't no shame in my game antishame badge of shame cone of shame cover-shame crying shame for shame for shame's sake hall of shame no shame in my game put to shame shame be to him who thinks evil of it shame-casting shamefaced shamefast shameful shamefully shame job shameless shamelessly shamelike shame on you shame plant shame pole shameproof shame reel shamesome shame-stroke shame to him who thinks ill of it shame upon you shame weed shameworthy Spanish shame that's a shame there's no shame in my game walk of shame wall of shame what a shame body-shame shame, shame ashamed bald-shame beshame creep-shame fat-shame forshame gay-shame kinkshame name and shame outshame shamable shameable shamee shamer slut-shame tell the truth and shame the devil unshamed vote-shame
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