public shaming

American  

[puhb-lik shaym-ing] / ˈpʌb lɪk ˈʃeɪm ɪŋ /

noun

• public shamings
  plural

1. the act or practice of humiliating someone for their behavior or characteristics by mocking, harshly criticizing, or expressing moral outrage against them in the media or on social media.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• public shamings
  plural

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

public shaming

He said Arday had faced "an unacceptable public hounding and campaign of abuse", adding that he was a victim of "a pernicious public shaming that other people in his position simply wouldn't have faced".

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

An agitated Jean finds herself praying to none other than Monica Lewinsky, the patron saint of bad romantic choices, or as Langbein puts it, “of those who suffer venal public shaming and patriarchal cruelty.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026

Some leagues take the public shaming to extremes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 7, 2025

Soon after that, “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” reminded his viewers of how uncivil Leno was toward Lewinsky in an episode about public shaming.

From Salon ● Jul. 31, 2025

The beggars went back to the church steps, the stragglers moved off, and the neighbors departed so that the public shaming of Kino would not be in their eyes.

From "The Pearl" by John Steinbeck

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