ashamed

adjective

ə-ˈshāmd 

1

a

: feeling shame, guilt, or disgrace

She felt ashamed for hitting her brother.

You should be ashamed of yourself.

Losing is nothing to be ashamed of.

He was deeply ashamed of his behavior.

b

: feeling inferior or unworthy

2

: reluctant or unwilling to do something because of shame or embarrassment

I was ashamed to be seen with him.

I'm not ashamed to admit that I don't know the answer.

ashamedly

ə-ˈshā-məd-lē 

adverb

Synonyms

• guilty
• shamed
• shamefaced

Examples of ashamed in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Waging war on Denmark is wrong and will damage U.S. defense and foreign relations for decades We Americans should be ashamed of ourselves and of our government. —Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 29 Mar. 2025

The Adams family and the league should all be ashamed of themselves. —Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025

Governor Healy and Mayor Wu should be ashamed of supporting sanctuary policies. —Kevin Sabet, Newsweek, 24 Mar. 2025

And both Team Johnson and complicit aldermen should be ashamed this ham-handed gambit was kept under wraps when those affected could have had a say. Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email [e-mail]. —The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 18 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English āscamod, past participle of āscamian to shame, from ā- (perfective prefix) + scamian to shame — more at abide, shame

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for ashamed

• counterclaimed
• unashamed
• abovenamed
• acclaimed
• declaimed
• defamed
• disclaimed
• exclaimed
• inflamed
• misnamed
• nicknamed
• proclaimed

Kids Definition

ashamed

adjective

ə-ˈshāmd 

1

: feeling shame, guilt, or disgrace

ashamed of my behavior

2

: kept from doing something by an expectation of shame

ashamed to beg

ashamedly

-ˈshā-məd-lē 

adverb