ashamed

[uh-sheymd]

adjective

1. feeling shame; distressed or embarrassed by feelings of guilt, foolishness, or disgrace.

   He felt ashamed for having spoken so cruelly.

   Antonyms: proud

2. unwilling or restrained because of fear of shame, ridicule, or disapproval.

   They were ashamed to show their work.

   Antonyms: proud

3. Chiefly Midland U.S.,  (especially of children) bashful; timid.

ashamed

/ əˈʃeɪmd, əˈʃeɪmɪdlɪ /

adjective

1. overcome with shame, guilt, or remorse

2. (foll by of) suffering from feelings of inferiority or shame in relation to (a person, thing, or deed)

3. (foll by to) unwilling through fear of humiliation, shame, etc

Other Word Forms

• ashamedly adverb
• ashamedness noun
• half-ashamed adjective
• half-ashamedly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of ashamed¹

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”; a- ³, shame

Word History and Origins

Origin of ashamed¹

Old English āscamod, past participle of āscamian to shame, from scamu _shame

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

“His own biography — born in India, sent to Burma as a young soldier, doing what he did there and being ashamed of it — drew him closer to my own experience,” Peck says.

From Los Angeles Times

She also said it would have given her the confidence not to be ashamed.

From BBC

But he said his message to those in need was: "If you need help don't feel ashamed to ask."

From BBC

“We’re a bunch of people moving around, shaking, some have walkers, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. We’re a beautiful bunch.”

From Los Angeles Times

"This wasn't a coincidence, this was triple sabotage at the UN. They ought to be ashamed of themselves."

From BBC

Related Words

• apologetic 
• bashful 
• contrite 
• distraught 
• distressed 
• embarrassed www.thesaurus.com
• guilty 
• hesitant 
• humble 
• humbled 
• humiliated 
• regretful 
• reluctant 
• repentant 
• shy 
• sorry