abashed

American  

[uh-basht] / əˈbæʃt /

adjective

1. ashamed or embarrassed; disconcerted.

   My clumsiness left me abashed.

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abashed British  

/ əˈbæʃt /

adjective

1. ill at ease, embarrassed, or confused; ashamed

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Other Word Forms

• abashedly adverb
• abashedness noun
• unabashed adjective

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.

Example Sentences

It’s a persuasive picture of a working artist, often fretting about money and trying to leverage his connections, and the actor makes the most of Hujar’s amusing, slightly abashed discursiveness.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 6, 2025

“We have quite a lot of work to do,” Chiappe says, looking somewhat abashed.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 15, 2024

“We need money,” the older Gala blurts out to the abashed Dalí during one bellicose confrontation over his lack of productivity, “money, money!”

From New York Times • Jun. 8, 2023

Jarreau continues and Belafonte remains slightly abashed until his smile broadens, as if he's accepting his signature tune's supernaturally unifying power.

From Salon • Apr. 26, 2023

Ernest, somewhat abashed at telling supplicants that he would have to check with Neylan before accepting their invitations, called him his “father confessor.”

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik