ashamed
[ uh-sheymd ]
/ əˈʃeɪmd /
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adjective
feeling shame; distressed or embarrassed by feelings of guilt, foolishness, or disgrace: He felt ashamed for having spoken so cruelly.
unwilling or restrained because of fear of shame, ridicule, or disapproval: They were ashamed to show their work.
Chiefly Midland U.S. (especially of children) bashful; timid.
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Origin of ashamed
synonym study for ashamed
1. 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 WORDS FROM ashamed
a·sham·ed·ly [uh-shey-mid-lee], /əˈʃeɪ mɪd li/, adverba·sham·ed·ness, nounhalf-a·shamed, adjectivehalf-a·sham·ed·ly, adverbDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use ashamed in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for ashamed
ashamed
/ (əˈʃeɪmd) /
adjective (usually postpositive)
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
Derived forms of ashamed
ashamedly (əˈʃeɪmɪdlɪ), adverbWord Origin for ashamed
Old English āscamod, past participle of āscamian to shame, from scamu shame
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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