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The Difference Between Abashed and Unabashed
To abash someone is to shake up their self-possession, as illustrated by Charlotte Brontë in her 1849 novel Shirley: "He had never blushed in his life; no humiliation could abash him." When you are unabashed you make no apologies for your behavior (nor do you attempt to hide or disguise it), but when you are abashed your confidence has been thrown off and you may feel rather inferior or ashamed of yourself. English speakers have been using abashed to describe feelings of embarrassment since the 14th century, but they have only used unabashed (brazenly or otherwise) since the 15th century (not that there’s anything wrong with that).
Examples of unabashed in a Sentence
EW.com, 8 Apr. 2025
Olivier Rousteing’s collection garnered attention as a key turning point in the evolution of the brand’s legacy, with sculptural knitwear and luxurious textures, while staying true to its core DNA of unabashed opulence and extravagance.
—Footwear News, 8 Apr. 2025
There’s something distinctly old-world about his sensibility: the flamboyant style and fashion-model cheekbones, the unabashed showmanship of his live performances, his reliance not on production bells and whistles but the sheer force of his voice.
—Liam Hess, Vogue, 6 Mar. 2025
For such people, the unabashed pursuit of wealth and the conspicuous consumption associated with wealth are treated as virtues in themselves.
—Jeffery Vacante, Hartford Courant, 16 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unabashed
Cite this Entry
“Unabashed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unabashed. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.
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