shame

1 of 2

noun

ˈshām 

1

a

: a painful emotion caused by consciousness of guilt, shortcoming, or impropriety

b

: the susceptibility to such emotion

have you no shame?

2

: a condition of humiliating disgrace or disrepute : ignominy

the shame of being arrested

3

a

: something that brings censure or reproach

also : something to be regretted : pity

it's a shame you can't go

b

: a cause of feeling shame

shame

2 of 2

verb

shamed; shaming

transitive verb

1

: to bring shame to : disgrace

shamed the family name

2

: to put to shame by outdoing

3

: to cause to feel shame

4

: to force by causing to feel guilty

shamed into confessing

Synonyms

Noun

• contriteness
• contrition
• guilt
• penitence
• regret
• remorse
• remorsefulness
• repentance
• rue
• self-reproach

Verb

• abase
• chasten
• cheapen
• debase
• degrade
• demean
• discredit
• disgrace
• dishonor
• foul
• humble
• humiliate
• lower
• sink
• smirch
• take down

Examples of shame in a Sentence

Noun

He felt shame for his lies.

How could you be so rude? Have you no shame?

Her crimes brought shame upon her family.

He had to endure the shame of being fired.

Verb

He was shamed by his behavior at the party.

shamed the family name with his conviction for embezzlement

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Perhaps some shame or embarrassment comes with the changing perceptions of both clubs on a personal level, but Steinbrenner isn’t his dad, who used to think spring training games against the Mets were must-win affairs and would surely be seething right now. —Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 9 Dec. 2024

But there have also been reports that Google will saddle it with an older modem, which would be a shame since the Pixel 9 lineup really made strides in cellular performance this year. —Chris Welch, The Verge, 6 Dec. 2024

Verb

If a fake time limit is being used, that’s often frowned upon by insiders who would shame those developers undertaking such an unseemly route. —Lance Eliot, Forbes, 8 Dec. 2024

That’s what happened the last time someone flew a plane over MetLife Stadium to shame the Giants for their dysfunction. —Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 8 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English scamu; akin to Old High German scama shame

First Known Use

Noun

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

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing shame

• a crying shame
• body-shame
• fat-shame
• hang one's head in shame
• put (someone or something) to shame
• shame on (someone)

Kids Definition

shame

1 of 2 noun

ˈshām 

1

a

: a painful emotion caused by having done something wrong or improper

b

: ability to feel shame

have you no shame?

2

: dishonor entry 1 sense 1, disgrace

3

: something that brings disgrace or causes shame or strong regret

4

: something to be regretted : pity

it's a shame you'll miss the show

shame

2 of 2 verb

shamed; shaming

1

: to bring shame to : disgrace

2

: to cause to feel shame

3

: to force by causing to feel guilty

they were shamed into confessing