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shame
[ sheym ]
noun
- the painful feeling arising from the consciousness of something dishonorable, improper, ridiculous, etc., done by oneself or another:
She was overcome with shame.
Antonyms: self-respect, self-esteem, pride
- 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)
- 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): dog-shaming pictures of canines chewing up shoes.
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.
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, etc
it's a shame you can't come with us
- put to shame
- to disgrace
- to surpass totally
interjection
- informal.
- an expression of sympathy
- an expression of pleasure or endearment
verb
- to cause to feel shame
- to bring shame on; disgrace
- often foll by into to compel through a sense of shame
he shamed her into making an apology
- name and shameSee name
Derived Forms
- ˈshamable, adjective
Other Words From
- shama·ble shamea·ble adjective
- shama·bly shamea·bly adverb
- half-shamed adjective
- outshame verb (used with object) outshamed outshaming
- un·shama·ble adjective
- un·shamea·ble adjective
- un·shamed adjective
Word History and Origins
Origin of shame1
Word History and Origins
Origin of shame1
Idioms and Phrases
- 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.
- for shame! you should feel ashamed!:
What a thing to say to your mother! For shame!
More idioms and phrases containing shame
In addition to the idiom beginning with shame , also see crying shame ; for shame ; put to shame .Synonym Study
Example Sentences
Evidence suggests that shame can undermine, rather than promote, moral motivation.
If you talk to the women now — having participated in a series, having come clean with their story, having decided to speak openly about it to cameras — I think you’ll find much less shame.
It’s a shame with all of that flooding, we may miss it again the next time he’s actually onto something.
It would be a shame if that couldn’t be brought to bear across the whole planet.
What’s a shame is that Huawei has arguably the most efficient 5G products.
But there's a ton of value for me in my background and my history, and losing it would be a shame.
As ever, Jon Stewart and The Daily Show crew encouraged us to find some humor alongside the horror and the shame.
The post-dinner conversations of staffers and policy-makers was seamed with shame, and even defeatism.
It's a shame, because Samberg's work on Brooklyn Nine-Nine has been stronger than ever this past season.
Her own muddled feelings of confusion, shame, and fear are what make the essay great and what make the essay her story.
Tell Lady Maude the candid truth, and take shame and blame to yourself, as you deserve.
I had it put in order whilst you were in London; it was a shame to let a sacred place remain in such a state.
For better is the iniquity of a man, than a woman doing a good turn, and a woman bringing shame and reproach.
He could not possibly doubt or question, and shame flooded him till he felt himself the meanest man alive.
My own yielding folly alone is to blame, and I shall take shame to myself for ever.
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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.
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