shamefaced

adjective

shame·​faced ˈshām-ˌfāst 

1

: showing modesty : bashful

2

: showing shame : ashamed

shamefacedly

ˈshām-ˌfā-səd-lē 

-ˌfāst-lē

adverb

shamefacedness

ˈshām-ˌfā-səd-nəs 

-ˌfās(t)-nəs

noun

Synonyms

• ashamed
• guilty
• shamed

Examples of shamefaced in a Sentence

He stood there, looking shamefaced.

the newspaper offered a shamefaced apology for having published photographs that were later exposed as fakes

Recent Examples on the Web

His Memoirs contain only a single, shamefaced mention of this wife’s name. —Benjamin Kunkel, The New Republic, 2 July 2018

Word History

Etymology

alteration of shamefast

First Known Use

1593, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

shamefaced

adjective

shame·​faced ˈshām-ˈfāst 

1

: showing modesty : bashful

2

: showing shame : ashamed

shamefacedly

-ˈfā-səd-lē 

-ˈfāst-lē

adverb

shamefacedness

-ˈfā-səd-nəs 

-ˈfās(t)-nəs

noun

Etymology

an altered form of earlier shamefast, from Old English scamfæst "bound by shame, bashful," from scamu "shame" and fæst "fixed, fast"

Word Origin

The Old English word scamfæst was formed by a combination of the noun scamu, meaning "shame," and the adjective fæst, meaning "firmly fixed or bound, fast." The meaning of scamfæst was "bound by shame" or, more simply, "bashful." Over the course of many years, Old English scamfæst was changed to modern English shamefaced. The change from -fæst to -faced occurred because many people misunderstood -fæst. They substituted a more familiar word for one they did not know. The belief that bashfulness shows in a person's face probably also influenced the change.