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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

public shaming

Some leagues take the public shaming to extremes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 7, 2025

"The proven life-threatening risks associated with a grades-based schools accountability system, based on public shaming and the fear of high stakes consequences, have not changed," they added.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 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

In the absence of authority, a public shaming campaign was all but inevitable; it is, after all, the one way to exert pressure on a justice who appears to be in breach of the rules.

From Slate ● Dec. 5, 2024

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