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shame

n. · v.
US //ˈʃeɪm// UK //ʃˈeɪm// shame
  1. 1 feeling of guilt (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

    a painful feeling of guilt or embarrassment because you have done something wrong or silly.

    an uncomfortable or painful emotion resulting from the awareness of one's own impropriety, dishonour, or failure to meet social standards.

    Example

    He felt a deep sense of shame after lying to his best friend.

    Example

    The public apology was intended to alleviate the shame he felt after his professional misconduct was exposed in the national press.
  2. 2 a disappointment (n.)
    A2 Elementary

    a situation that is disappointing or a pity.

    a regrettable or unfortunate situation; often used in the construction 'it is a shame that'.

    Example

    It is a shame that you cannot come to the party tonight.

    Example

    It is a great shame that the historic theatre was demolished to make way for a modern office block.

    Usage

    Commonly used with 'it is a...' or 'what a...'.
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  1. 3 loss of respect (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    a loss of respect from other people because of bad behaviour.

    the state of being dishonoured or disgraced in the eyes of others.

    Example

    His actions brought shame on his entire family.

    Example

    The scandal brought lasting shame upon the institution, leading to the resignation of several high-ranking board members.
  2. 4 to make someone feel bad (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    to make someone feel ashamed or to criticize them publicly.

    to cause someone to feel shame or to bring disgrace upon them through public criticism or superior performance.

    Example

    The teacher did not want to shame the student in front of the class.

    Example

    The activist group sought to shame the corporation into changing its environmental policies by publishing a list of its violations.

    Usage

    Transitive verb taking a direct object.
Etymology 1

From Middle English schame, from Old English sċamu, from Proto-Germanic *skamō. Cognates *German Scham (“shame”) *German Low German Schaam (“shame, shamefacedness”) *Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, Swedish skam (“shame”) *Faroese skomm (“shame, dishonour”) *Icelandic skömm (“shame”) *Gothic 𐍃𐌺𐌰𐌼𐌰 (skama, “shame”).

Etymology 2

From Middle English schamen, from Old English sċamian, from Proto-West Germanic skamēn, from Proto-Germanic skamāną. Cognates *Dutch schamen (“to be ashamed”) *German schämen (“to be ashamed or embarrassed, bashful”) *Danish, Norwegian Bokmål skamme (“to be ashamed”) *Icelandic skamma (“to scold”) *Gothic 𐍃𐌺𐌰𐌼𐌰𐌽 (skaman, “to be ashamed”).

Word family
Idioms2 entries

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