English Reference
Noun

abashedness

n. uncountable
C2 Proficiency abashed·ness

n.a feeling of being embarrassed or ashamed. You might feel this way if you make a mistake in front of other people.

n.a state of being embarrassed, disconcerted, or ashamed. Often implies a sudden loss of self-possession due to a sense of inferiority or error.


SIMPLE

He looked away in abashedness after his mistake.

CONTEXTUAL

Despite her usual confidence, a visible abashedness came over her when she realized she had forgotten the guest of honor's name.

COMPLEX

The poet captures that specific abashedness one feels when a private vulnerability is suddenly exposed to the cold light of public scrutiny.

Usage

The noun is derived from the adjective 'abashed'; it is relatively rare in modern English, with 'embarrassment' or 'shame' being more common substitutes.


From abashed + -ness.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level C2 · Proficiency
Frequency Rare
Updated