: causing feelings of shame
The facts are too shaming for a proud nation to remember.—
Niger Calder
Niger Calder… for me it's a shaming reminder that for five and a half months I let a man call me "Baby Bear" …—Tina Brown
Tina BrownWhat happened at Enron … was indeed a shaming episode in the history of US capitalism.—Geoffrey Owen
Geoffrey Owen… books that if they are left unread are truly shaming …—Jeff Reid
Jeff Reid
shamingly
adverb
I was reduced to ringing. Got the answering machine. Her voice—but insultingly impersonal, shamingly stilted.
—Michael Frayn
Michael Frayn
plural shamings
: the act or activity of subjecting someone to shame, disgrace, humiliation, or disrepute especially by public exposure or criticism
Other times they would take more aggressive measures, tracking down and exposing the identities of supposed wrongdoers who the group felt had not been brought to justice. Public shaming is a standard tool for this kind of activism …—Emily Bazelon
Emily BazelonBetween 1957 and 1961, he … managed to rig the outcomes of at least 43 [college basketball] games, leading to the arrests of 37 players and the shaming of several others.—Eric Konigsberg
Eric KonigsbergAs the parade of … public shamings on Capitol Hill has shown …, the wealthy may not be universally loved, but they're America's favorite spectacle.—James Poniewozik
James PoniewozikExamples of shaming in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Samantha Conti, WWD, 14 Mar. 2025
But there isn’t the shaming and the negativity, and the disgusting opinions of people that can barely dress themselves.
—Alison Edmond, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Mar. 2025
The culture of body shaming, unrealistic beauty standards, and the obsessive focus on appearance is hugely heightened for celebrities: Adele’s body was targeted in the press for years, while Selena’s physique is regularly being picked apart on social media and in comment sections.
—Alex Light, Glamour, 24 Feb. 2025
Part Two details the lows, the shaming and the trials by court of public opinion.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 24 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shaming
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Noun
The film also focuses on the challenges that Twiggy herself had to face — the sexism, patronizing treatment from older men, and body shaming.
—Samantha Conti, WWD, 14 Mar. 2025
But there isn’t the shaming and the negativity, and the disgusting opinions of people that can barely dress themselves.
—Alison Edmond, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Mar. 2025
The culture of body shaming, unrealistic beauty standards, and the obsessive focus on appearance is hugely heightened for celebrities: Adele’s body was targeted in the press for years, while Selena’s physique is regularly being picked apart on social media and in comment sections.
—Alex Light, Glamour, 24 Feb. 2025
Part Two details the lows, the shaming and the trials by court of public opinion.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 24 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shaming
Cite this Entry
“Shaming.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shaming. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
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