shame

[ sheym ]

/ ʃeɪm /

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR shame ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the painful feeling arising from the consciousness of something dishonorable, improper, ridiculous, etc., done by oneself or another: She was overcome with shame.

susceptibility to this feeling: to be without shame.

disgrace; ignominy: His actions brought shame upon his parents.

a fact or circumstance bringing disgrace or regret: The bankruptcy of the business was a shame. It was a shame you couldn't come with us.

verb (used with object), shamed, sham·ing.

to cause to feel shame; make ashamed: His cowardice shamed him.

to publicly humiliate or shame for being or doing something specified (usually used in combination): kids who've been fat-shamed and bullied;dog-shaming pictures of canines chewing up shoes.

to drive, force, etc., through shame: He shamed her into going.

to cover with ignominy or reproach; disgrace.

Nearby words

Idioms

for shame! you should feel ashamed!: What a thing to say to your mother! For shame!

put to shame,

to cause to suffer shame or disgrace.
to outdo; surpass: She played so well she put all the other tennis players to shame.

Origin of shame

before 900; (noun) Middle English; Old English sc(e)amu; cognate with German Scham, Old Norse skǫmm; (v.) Middle English schamen, shamien to be ashamed, Old English sc(e)amian, derivative of the noun

SYNONYMS FOR shame

1. Shame, embarrassment, mortification, humiliation, chagrin designate different kinds or degrees of painful feeling caused by injury to one's pride or self-respect. Shame is a painful feeling caused by the consciousness or exposure of unworthy or indecent conduct or circumstances: One feels shame at being caught in a lie. It is similar to guilt in the nature and origin of the feeling. Embarrassment usually refers to a feeling less painful than that of shame, one associated with less serious situations, often of a social nature: embarrassment over breaking a teacup at a party. Mortification is a more painful feeling, akin to shame but also more likely to arise from specifically social circumstances: his mortification at being singled out for rebuke. Humiliation is mortification at being humbled in the estimation of others: Being ignored gives one a sense of humiliation. Chagrin is humiliation mingled with vexation or anger: She felt chagrin at her failure to remember her promise. 5. humiliate, mortify, humble, abash, embarrass.

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ANTONYMS FOR shame

1. pride, self-esteem, self-respect.

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Related forms

sham·a·ble, shame·a·ble, adjectivesham·a·bly, shame·a·bly, adverbhalf-shamed, adjectiveout·shame, verb (used with object), out·shamed, out·sham·ing.

un·sham·a·ble, adjectiveun·shame·a·ble, adjectiveun·shamed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for shame

But there's a ton of value for me in my background and my history, and losing it would be a shame.
My Week on Jewish Tinder|Emily Shire|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
As ever, Jon Stewart and The Daily Show crew encouraged us to find some humor alongside the horror and the shame.
Jon Stewart Laughs to Keep From Vomiting at the CIA Report|Jack Holmes, The Daily Beast Video|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The post-dinner conversations of staffers and policy-makers was seamed with shame, and even defeatism.
Indefensible but Indispensable America|Jamie Dettmer|December 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It's a shame, because Samberg's work on Brooklyn Nine-Nine has been stronger than ever this past season.
15 Enraging Golden Globe TV Snubs and Surprises: Amy Poehler, 'Mad Men' & More|Kevin Fallon|December 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Her own muddled feelings of confusion, shame, and fear are what make the essay great and what make the essay her story.
The Right's Rape Trolls vs. Lena Dunham|Emily Shire|December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Oh, what a shame to take him through the streets in such a helpless condition!
Fireside Stories for Girls in Their Teens|Margaret White Eggleston
It's a shame to see a minister of the Gospel drowning his grief in liquor.
The Life of Thomas Wanless, Peasant|Alexander Johnstone Wilson
The willows,” he says, “bow themselves to every wind, out of shame for their unfruitfulness.
Rubiyt of Omar Khayym and Salmn and Absl|Omar Khayym and Ralph Waldo Emerson
The church of Rome has acted upon this principle, and even Protestants (to the shame of Protestantism) have followed her example.
Notes on the Book of Deuteronomy, Volume II|Charles Henry Mackintosh
She must be put to grief and shame, while he, the one on whose head the real sin lay, escaped.
How It All Came Round|L. T. Meade

British Dictionary definitions for shame

shame

/ (ʃeɪm) /

noun

a painful emotion resulting from an awareness of having done something dishonourable, unworthy, degrading, etc

capacity to feel such an emotion

ignominy or disgrace

a person or thing that causes this

an occasion for regret, disappointment, etcit's a shame you can't come with us

put to shame

to disgrace
to surpass totally

interjection

Southern African informal

an expression of sympathy
an expression of pleasure or endearment

verb (tr)

to cause to feel shame

to bring shame on; disgrace

(often foll by into) to compel through a sense of shamehe shamed her into making an apology

name and shame See name (def. 17)

Derived Formsshamable or shameable, adjective

Word Origin for shame

Old English scamu; related to Old Norse skömm, Old High German skama

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for shame

shame

Old English scamu, sceomu "feeling of guilt or disgrace; confusion caused by shame; disgrace, dishonor, insult, loss of esteem or reputation; shameful circumstance, what brings disgrace; modesty; private parts," from Proto-Germanic *skamo (cf. Old Saxon skama, Old Norse skömm, Swedish skam, Old Frisian scome, Dutch schaamte, Old High German scama, German Scham). The best guess is that this is from PIE *skem-, from *kem- "to cover" (covering oneself being a common expression of shame).

Until modern times English had a productive duplicate form in shand. An Old Norse word for it was kinnroði, literally "cheek-redness," hence, "blush of shame." Greek distinguished shame in the bad sense of "disgrace, dishonor" (aiskhyne) from shame in the good sense of "modesty, bashfulness" (aidos). To put (someone or something) to shame is mid-13c. Shame culture attested by 1947.

shame

Old English scamian "be ashamed, blush, feel shame; cause shame," from the root of shame (n.). Cf. Old Saxon scamian, Dutch schamen, Old High German scamen, Danish skamme, Gothic skaman, German schämen sich. Related: Shamed; shaming.

Idioms and Phrases with shame

shame

In addition to the idiom beginning with shame

shame on you

also see:

crying shame
for shame
put to shame

shame

noun

verb (used with object), shamed, sham·ing.

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shame

noun

interjection

verb (tr)

Word Origin for shame

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