ENGLISH
REFERENCE

abashment

n. uncountable
C2 Proficiency abash·ment

n. a feeling of being embarrassed or ashamed. You might feel this after making a mistake in front of other people.

n. a state of embarrassment, confusion, or shame. Often used to describe the visible or internal reaction to a social faux pas.


SIMPLE

He looked away in abashment after his mistake.

CONTEXTUAL

She felt a wave of abashment when she realized she had been calling her new boss by the wrong name all morning.

COMPLEX

The speaker's initial abashment at the technical failure quickly vanished as the audience began to cheer in support of his improvised explanation.

Synonyms
Origin

From Middle English abaisshment, from Middle French abaissement (“astonishment”) alteration of esbaissement, from esbaiss + -ment. Compare French ébahissement. Equivalent to abash + -ment.

Usage

Typically functions as an uncountable noun; frequently follows the preposition 'in' to describe a person's reaction.

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