shameful
Americanadjective
-
causing shame.
shameful behavior.
- Synonyms:
- humiliating
-
disgraceful or scandalous.
shameful treatment.
- Synonyms:
- low, base, vile, ignominious, dishonorable
- Antonyms:
- honorable
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of shameful
before 950; Middle English; Old English scamful. See shame, -ful
Explanation
Cheating to win a game is a shameful act because it goes against fairness and honesty. Any shameful act can leave you feeling guilty and embarrassed if you get caught — as it should. The word shameful describes actions or behaviors that are disgraceful. For example, cheating on a test or telling a hurtful lie are shameful acts because they betray the values of trustworthiness, honesty, and kindness. When someone does something shameful, they are held in a state of dishonor, leading to feelings of regret and a desire to try and make things right.
Vocabulary lists containing shameful
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A shameful way to treat the visitors, who have given us so much this season, so many supreme moments, so much that made the title race the greatest in the lifetime of so many.
From BBC • May 16, 2026
Together they sketched out the story’s framework: a murder mystery set in a small town replete with shameful secrets and sinister magic.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026
“It’s shameful that in many cases we are leaving people on their own during the worst migration crisis that we have confronted,” the veteran diplomat said.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026
On March 20, Iranian state media issued the first, and so far only, message in Ghaani's name of the war, predicting that Iran would "soon witness the shameful defeat" of its enemies in the war.
From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026
Before I could begin the shameful process of forgetting the how and the why of her living and dying, I needed to learn it: How.
From "Looking for Alaska" by John Green
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
