abashed
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of abashed
Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; see origin at abash, -ed 2
Explanation
If you feel abashed, you're embarrassed and a little uneasy. People feel abashed when they're caught in a lie, or make a mistake, or suddenly feel self-conscious for some reason. Feeling abashed isn't quite as painful as feeling ashamed, but it's close. When you're abashed, you're not feeling confident or strong: you're a little shaken up and taken aback. You feel embarrassed or chagrined. This is a word for a self-conscious, uneasy feeling––think caught with your hand in the cookie jar or your drinking out of the milk carton in the middle of the night.
Vocabulary lists containing abashed
The Alchemist
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Beowulf: A New Telling
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It must have slipped my mind...
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Abashed, he wore a tuxedo to the première of “Little Odessa,” only to discover that he was the only one dressed up.
From The New Yorker • Sep. 9, 2019
Abashed, we took it off the table and the child out of the story.
From US News • Aug. 9, 2011
Abashed, Macmillan found it in a vault and, insuring it for $1,000, sent it all back, or so everyone believed until just recently.
From New York Times • Mar. 29, 2011
Abashed, young Dr. Korell went home, locked up his manuscript.
From Time Magazine Archive
Abashed, Robb sheathed his sword, suddenly a child again.
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
