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Added 9 October 2026

shame

/ˈʃeɪ̯m/ noun

Categories: FeelingsDescribing WordsEveryday Words

In Latin: pudor Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about shame at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

  1. A painful emotion resulting from an awareness of inadequacy or guilt.
  2. A state of dishonor.
    one mistake brought shame to all his family
  3. An unfortunate development.
    it's a pity he couldn't do it

verb

  1. Bring shame or dishonor upon.
    he dishonored his family by committing a serious crime
  2. Compel through a sense of shame.
    She shamed him into making amends
  3. Cause to be ashamed.

Origin

From Middle English schame, from Old English sċamu, from Proto-West Germanic *skamu, from Proto-Germanic *skamō. *German Low German Schaam (“shame, shamefacedness”) *Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, Swedish skam (“shame”)

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Related Words: disgracedishonourignominypitydishonorattaintembarrassedembarrassmentembarrassingabashhumiliatedembarrass

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