ashamed
Americanadjective
-
feeling shame; distressed or embarrassed by feelings of guilt, foolishness, or disgrace.
He felt ashamed for having spoken so cruelly.
- Antonyms:
- proud
-
unwilling or restrained because of fear of shame, ridicule, or disapproval.
They were ashamed to show their work.
- Antonyms:
- proud
-
Chiefly Midland U.S. (especially of children) bashful; timid.
adjective
-
overcome with shame, guilt, or remorse
-
(foll by of) suffering from feelings of inferiority or shame in relation to (a person, thing, or deed)
-
(foll by to) unwilling through fear of humiliation, shame, etc
Synonym Usage
Ashamed, humiliated, mortified refer to a condition or feeling of discomfort or embarrassment. Ashamed focuses on the sense of one's own responsibility for an act, whether it is foolish, improper, or immoral: He was ashamed of his dishonesty. She was ashamed of her mistake. Humiliated stresses a feeling of being humbled or disgraced, without any necessary implication of guilt: He was humiliated by the king. Both words are used equally in situations in which one is felt to be responsible for the actions of another: Robert felt humiliated by his daughter's behavior. Mom was ashamed of the way I looked. Mortified represents an intensification of the feelings implied by the other two words: She was mortified by her clumsiness.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of ashamed
First recorded before 1000; originally past participle of earlier ashame (verb) “to be ashamed,” Middle English, Old English āscamian, equivalent to ā- a prefix + scamian “to shame”; see origin at a- 3, shame
Explanation
When you have done something you know you shouldn't have, or just something embarrassing, you feel ashamed, or remorseful. Don't be ashamed of your unusual dance moves — you were the life of the party! The word ashamed has, in some form, been around since before the 11th Century. You might feel less ashamed of your mistakes if you're able to learn from them. As Jonathan Swift put it, "A man should never be ashamed to own that he has been in the wrong, which is but saying... that he is wiser today than yesterday."
Vocabulary lists containing ashamed
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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.
“Blacks were ashamed of those derogatory images,” she told the New York Times.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
"Last year, Marcos said, 'Have some shame,' but up to now, no one is ashamed," she said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
“Maybe they’re hiding something that they’re ashamed to admit because of who you are, what you put forth in the world.”
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
“Someone who feels ashamed about money may avoid reviewing accounts, seeking guidance, discussing financial concerns or making a plan. Accountability combined with self-compassion is usually more effective than self-condemnation.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
I tell him that I don’t want him to be ashamed of me.
From "King and the Dragonflies" by Kacen Callender
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.
