shame
pronunciation
How to pronounce shame in British English:
UK [ʃeɪm]
How to pronounce shame in American English:
US [ʃeɪm]
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- Noun:
- a painful emotion resulting from an awareness of inadequacy or guilt
- a state of dishonor
- an unfortunate development
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- Verb:
- bring shame or dishonor upon
- compel through a sense of shame
- cause to be ashamed
- surpass or beat by a wide margin
Word Origin
- shame
- shame: [OE] Shame is a general Germanic term, with relatives in German scham, Dutch schaam, and Swedish and Danish skam. Their common ancestor is a prehistoric *skamō, a word of unknown origin. Sham [17] probably originated in a northern English pronunciation of shame. The compound shamefaced [16] has no etymological connection with face. It is an alteration of an earlier shamefast, whose second element is the same word as fast ‘firm’, and its underlying meaning is ‘held firm by shame’.=> sham
- shame (n.)
- Old English scamu, sceomu "feeling of guilt or disgrace; confusion caused by shame; disgrace, dishonor, insult, loss of esteem or reputation; shameful circumstance, what brings disgrace; modesty; private parts," from Proto-Germanic *skamo (cognates: Old Saxon skama, Old Norse skömm, Swedish skam, Old Frisian scome, Dutch schaamte, Old High German scama, German Scham). The best guess is that this is from PIE *skem-, from *kem- "to cover" (covering oneself being a common expression of shame). Until modern times English had a productive duplicate form in shand. An Old Norse word for it was kinnroði, literally "cheek-redness," hence, "blush of shame." Greek distinguished shame in the bad sense of "disgrace, dishonor" (aiskhyne) from shame in the good sense of "modesty, bashfulness" (aidos). To put (someone or something) to shame is mid-13c. Shame culture attested by 1947.
- shame (v.)
- Old English scamian "be ashamed, blush, feel shame; cause shame," from the root of shame (n.). Compare Old Saxon scamian, Dutch schamen, Old High German scamen, Danish skamme, Gothic skaman, German schämen sich. Related: Shamed; shaming.
Synonym
guilt mortify down humiliate meeken lowly of fill the bring subdue disappoint embarrass out put dumbfound sails take abash make to confuse chasten with wind a notch blush one's
slander reproach smudge tarnish dirt taint ridicule vilify stain spot debase upon smear slur brand degrade blacken defame sully dishonor smirch denigrate heap scandalize vitiate stigmatize besmirch abase disgrace asperse calumniate
Antonym
Example
- 1. The problem is general sex hysteria and shame .
- 2. He felt no shame in tackling any honest labor .
- 3. Self-discipline is not about guilt or shame or religion .
- 4. A laughing-stock , a thing of shame .
- 5. Are you afraid to expose your shame or guilt ?