# abashed

/əˈbæʃt/ (US) · /ɐbˈæʃt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/abashed
Updated: 2026-05-02

## Senses

### 1. embarrassed

adjective · CEFR C1 · Literary

feeling ashamed or embarrassed, often because someone has pointed out your mistake.

For teachers: feeling embarrassed, disconcerted, or ashamed. Often used as a predicative adjective following a linking verb.

- He stood there looking abashed after his boss found the mistake in his report.
- The politician looked momentarily abashed when the interviewer confronted him with his own contradictory statements from the previous year.

Teaching tip: This word is much more common in literature than in daily conversation; in modern speech, people usually prefer 'embarrassed' or 'ashamed'.

## Examples

- He looked abashed when he realized he was in the wrong room.
- She stood abashed in the doorway after her colleagues suddenly stopped talking as she entered.
- The politician appeared momentarily abashed when the interviewer confronted him with his own contradictory statements from the previous year.

## Usage notes

- Often follows linking verbs like 'look', 'feel', or 'seem'.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.