shame
(noun, verb)
past tense: shamed
LISTEN
"Shame on you!"
Shame is the painful feeling of having done something wrong.
- After she yelled at her father, Terry felt shame.
Shame can also mean ‘disgrace.’
- When you stole money from the charity, you brought shame on our family.
To shame means ‘to cause to suffer disgrace.’
- Phyllis shamed her team when she cheered for their opponents.
Common uses
to put someone or something to shame: to outdo or be better than. Example: “My new phone puts the old one to shame.”
Related words
ashamed: feeling shame. Example: “He was ashamed of himself for failing the test.”
shameless: lacking a sense of shame. Example: “After she was proven wrong, she continued to lie. She is shameless.”
In pop culture
Shameless is a TV series from the UK that has a also a US version. It’s about a family that has a drunk and selfish father. Watch the trailer for the first UK season.
Word of the Day is released Monday through Friday.
