Word of the Day
: April 26, 2012unabashed
playWhat It Means
: not disconcerted : undisguised, unapologetic
unabashed in Context
"I am an unabashed fan of the Scripps National Spelling Bee," admitted Carly.
"He long has been an unabashed advocate of increasing the gas tax to help pay for transportation projects…." - From an article by Matt Cella in The Washington Times, April 9, 2012
Did You Know?
When you are "unabashed," you make no apologies for your behavior, but when you are "abashed," your confidence has been shaken and you may feel rather inferior or ashamed of yourself. English speakers have been using "abashed" to describe feelings of embarrassment since the 14th century, but they have only used "unabashed" (brazenly or otherwise) since the late 1500s. Both words can be traced back to the Anglo-French word "abair," meaning "to astonish."
Test Your Vocabulary with M-W Quizzes
Name That Antonym
What antonym of "unabashed" rhymes with "cheapish"? The answer is ...
