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
b
: a cause of feeling shame
shamed; shaming
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
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.
He had to endure the shame of being fired.
Verb
He was shamed by his behavior at the party.
shamed the family name with his conviction for embezzlement
Recent Examples on the Web
Esther Zuckerman, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024
For Haynes, the act of painting the nude is, more than anything else, an antidote to shame.
—Julia Halperin, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2024
While research on sociopathy may still be sparse, there is no shortage of resources detailing the harmful effects of shame and guilt.
—Patric Gagne, TIME, 2 Apr. 2024
Black women, in particular, are at a higher risk of developing HS, which carries a lot of shame and stigma due to its appearance and the location of the nodules, which can show up on your armpits, genitals, butt, or under your breasts—anywhere skin rubs on skin.
—Julia Craven, SELF, 29 Mar. 2024
Despite the prevalence of these diseases, people often experience prejudice, shame and discrimination, including from healthcare professionals.
—Dr. Tejaswi Kompala, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Also, for many Black women, perimenopause, and menopause are taboo topics that aren’t openly discussed, either because of shame or embarrassment or genuinely not knowing their symptoms and often being dismissed by their healthcare providers.
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 29 Mar. 2024
For years shame stopped him from talking about his past
For years, Nakli has only talked about it with his closest friends.
—Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN, 23 Mar. 2024
John Wooden’s statue should be recast with the program unrolled and covering his eyes in shame at what his legacy has become.
—Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2024
TIME, 4 Apr. 2024
Seat width: At its largest, the seat runs 38 inches wide, which shames many first-class products.
—Lauren Mowery, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Lizzo's Instagram statement comes amid two lawsuits In August, Lizzo was sued for allegedly pressuring and weight shaming her former dancers.
—Kimi Robinson, USA TODAY, 30 Mar. 2024
Directed by Gus van Sant, languorous, malicious meals unspool at La Côte Basque, the midtown society lunch spot, gloves are sought at Saks (they are shamed for being behind the times and told to–gasp–try Lord & Taylor).
—Vogue, 21 Mar. 2024
Domestic challengers like Ford, Mopar, and AMC have been publicly shamed in competition, official and unofficial.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 20 Mar. 2024
Roker — who had gastric bypass surgery in 2002 and has been vocal about his weight loss journey — said people shouldn’t shame how others approach their health.
—Vanessa Etienne, Peoplemag, 19 Mar. 2024
They are shamed for speaking Spanish by non-Latinos and shamed for not speaking Spanish by Latinos.
—Daniel Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 18 Mar. 2024
Some of the world’s biggest retail brands have been shamed for taking months to pay smaller suppliers.
—Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 12 Mar. 2024
Noun
Apparently: The dream is to spend just a moment living with their lack of shame.
—Esther Zuckerman, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024
For Haynes, the act of painting the nude is, more than anything else, an antidote to shame.
—Julia Halperin, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2024
While research on sociopathy may still be sparse, there is no shortage of resources detailing the harmful effects of shame and guilt.
—Patric Gagne, TIME, 2 Apr. 2024
Black women, in particular, are at a higher risk of developing HS, which carries a lot of shame and stigma due to its appearance and the location of the nodules, which can show up on your armpits, genitals, butt, or under your breasts—anywhere skin rubs on skin.
—Julia Craven, SELF, 29 Mar. 2024
Despite the prevalence of these diseases, people often experience prejudice, shame and discrimination, including from healthcare professionals.
—Dr. Tejaswi Kompala, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Also, for many Black women, perimenopause, and menopause are taboo topics that aren’t openly discussed, either because of shame or embarrassment or genuinely not knowing their symptoms and often being dismissed by their healthcare providers.
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 29 Mar. 2024
For years shame stopped him from talking about his past
For years, Nakli has only talked about it with his closest friends.
—Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN, 23 Mar. 2024
John Wooden’s statue should be recast with the program unrolled and covering his eyes in shame at what his legacy has become.
—Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2024
Verb
Those who collected the least were shamed in front of their team.
—TIME, 4 Apr. 2024
Seat width: At its largest, the seat runs 38 inches wide, which shames many first-class products.
—Lauren Mowery, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Lizzo's Instagram statement comes amid two lawsuits In August, Lizzo was sued for allegedly pressuring and weight shaming her former dancers.
—Kimi Robinson, USA TODAY, 30 Mar. 2024
Directed by Gus van Sant, languorous, malicious meals unspool at La Côte Basque, the midtown society lunch spot, gloves are sought at Saks (they are shamed for being behind the times and told to–gasp–try Lord & Taylor).
—Vogue, 21 Mar. 2024
Domestic challengers like Ford, Mopar, and AMC have been publicly shamed in competition, official and unofficial.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 20 Mar. 2024
Roker — who had gastric bypass surgery in 2002 and has been vocal about his weight loss journey — said people shouldn’t shame how others approach their health.
—Vanessa Etienne, Peoplemag, 19 Mar. 2024
They are shamed for speaking Spanish by non-Latinos and shamed for not speaking Spanish by Latinos.
—Daniel Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 18 Mar. 2024
Some of the world’s biggest retail brands have been shamed for taking months to pay smaller suppliers.
—Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 12 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shame.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Phrases Containing shame
Dictionary Entries Near shame
Cite this Entry
“Shame.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shame. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
shame
1 of 2 noun1
a
: a painful emotion caused by having done something wrong or improper
b
: ability to feel shame
have you no shame?
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
Britannica English: Translation of shame for Arabic Speakers
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