abash

American  

[uh-bash] / əˈbæʃ /

verb (used with object)

1. to destroy the self-confidence, poise, or self-possession of; disconcert; make ashamed or embarrassed.

   to abash someone by sneering.

   Synonyms:

   embarrass, discompose, shame

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abash British  

/ əˈbæʃ /

verb

1. (tr; usually passive) to cause to feel ill at ease, embarrassed, or confused; make ashamed

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Other Word Forms

• abashment
  noun

Etymology

Origin of abash

1275–1325; Middle English abaishen < dialectal Old French abacher, Old French abaissier to put down, bring low ( see abase), perhaps conflated with Anglo-French abaiss-, long stem of abair, Old French esba ( h ) ir to gape, marvel, amaze ( es- ex- ¹ + -ba ( h ) ir, alteration of baer to open wide, gape < Vulgar Latin *batāre; bay ², bay ³ )

Explanation

Although abash sounds like a big party or what firefighters do to get through a locked door, abash is, in fact, a verb that means you have caused another person to feel awkward, bashful, embarrassed, or ashamed. To make your best friend feel abashed, you might tell her new boyfriend about the time she... but why would you want to embarrass her? Typically abash is used when something has a shaming effect. You might find yourself saying: “I was abashed by the magnitude of the others’ generosity so I donated twenty thousand more,” but you wouldn’t just use abash in place of embarrass. It would sound strange to warn, “Don’t do that, you’re going to abash yourself!”

Example Sentences

Friends made in the Young Men's Bible Class at his uncle's church abash his rusticity, put him in touch with the spirit of the time, to Succeed.

From Time Magazine Archive

Major scenes are Ivan's coronation; his destruction of the Tartar city of Kazan; his rising from his supposed deathbed to abash those who are plotting against his son's succession.

From Time Magazine Archive

In between, the noise quotient would abash a pneumatic drill.

From Time Magazine Archive

She observed that he embraced the boy three times in the course of the evening, and managed generally to confound and abash the little fellow out of speech and appetite.

From The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson Swanston Edition Vol. 6 (of 25) by Stevenson, Robert Louis

To check the familiarity of others, you need not become stiff, sullen, nor cold, but you will find that excessive politeness on your own part, sometimes with a little formality, will soon abash the intruder.

From The Gentlemen's Book of Etiquette and Manual of Politeness Being a Complete Guide for a Gentleman's Conduct in all his Relations Towards Society by Hartley, Cecil B.