shame

1 of 2

noun

ˈshām How to pronounce shame (audio)
Synonyms of shamenext
1
a
: a painful emotion caused by consciousness of guilt, shortcoming, or impropriety
b
: the susceptibility to such emotion
have you no shame?
2
: a condition of humiliating disgrace or disrepute : ignominy
the shame of being arrested
3
a
: something that brings censure or reproach
also : something to be regretted : pity
it's a shame you can't go
b
: a cause of feeling shame

shame

2 of 2

verb

shamed; shaming

transitive verb

1
: to bring shame to : disgrace
shamed the family name
2
: to put to shame by outdoing
3
: to cause to feel shame
4
: to force by causing to feel guilty
shamed into confessing

Synonyms

Noun

Verb

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of shame in a Sentence

Noun He felt shame for his lies. How could you be so rude? Have you no shame? Her crimes brought shame upon her family.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
The much bigger shame with Social Security is that it’s forced savings sans any kind of equity component. — John Tamny, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2025 There’s no shame at this no-audition choir that’s teaching Angelenos to sing. — Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2025
Verb
Given the way in which the current occupants of the Oval Office treated another person, let alone a head of state, ally and, quite apparently, the only adult in the room, I was shamed to think my country would publicly bully the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy! — Chicago Tribune, 14 Mar. 2025 Her prairie witch carries the moral burdens of a bankrupt society that shames women and strips the land of its resources as well as its native inhabitants, leaving little for those left behind. — Lauren Leblanc, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for shame

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English scamu; akin to Old High German scama shame

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of shame was before the 12th century

Phrases Containing shame

Rhymes for shame

See All Rhymes for shame

Browse Nearby Words

shambolic
shame
shamedly
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Shame.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shame. Accessed 27 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

shame

1 of 2 noun
ˈshām How to pronounce shame (audio)
1
a
: a painful emotion caused by having done something wrong or improper
b
: ability to feel shame
have you no shame?
2
: dishonor entry 1 sense 1, disgrace
3
: something that brings disgrace or causes shame or strong regret
4
: something to be regretted : pity
it's a shame you'll miss the show

shame

2 of 2 verb
shamed; shaming
1
: to bring shame to : disgrace
2
: to cause to feel shame
3
: to force by causing to feel guilty
they were shamed into confessing

More from Merriam-Webster on shame

Nglish: Translation of shame for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Words You Always Have to Look Up

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
dog-in-disguise
Rhyme Disguise Quiz Pair up words that look different but sound alike.
See All