ashamed

adjective

ə-ˈshāmd How to pronounce ashamed (audio)
Synonyms of ashamed
1
a
: feeling shame, guilt, or disgrace
She felt ashamed for hitting her brother.
You should be ashamed of yourself.
Losing is nothing to be ashamed of.
He was deeply ashamed of his behavior.
b
: feeling inferior or unworthy
2
: reluctant or unwilling to do something because of shame or embarrassment
I was ashamed to be seen with him.
I'm not ashamed to admit that I don't know the answer.
ashamedly
ə-ˈshā-məd-lē How to pronounce ashamed (audio)
adverb

Synonyms of ashamed

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of ashamed in a Sentence

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.
Policies that may make people feel judged or ashamed to use SNAP, therefore, cannot be evaluated solely by whether purchases of one particular product decline. — Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026 Matt Damon isn’t ashamed to be a bit of a Disney adult—and neither are his daughters. — Meg Walters, InStyle, 21 Aug. 2026 Reiley now sees how ashamed her daughter had been of her mental health. — Rhitu Chatterjee, NPR, 18 Aug. 2026 Father Ruiz, who was from Peru, by contrast always felt a little ashamed of not having studied in any concerted way. — Literary Hub, 14 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for ashamed

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English āscamod, past participle of āscamian to shame, from ā- (perfective prefix) + scamian to shame — more at abide, shame

First Known Use

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

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

Rhymes for ashamed

See All Rhymes for ashamed

Browse Nearby Words

ashake
ashamed
ashamedly
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ashamed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ashamed. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

ashamed

adjective
ə-ˈshāmd How to pronounce ashamed (audio)
1
: feeling shame, guilt, or disgrace
ashamed of my behavior
2
: kept from doing something by an expectation of shame
ashamed to beg
ashamedly
-ˈshā-məd-lē How to pronounce ashamed (audio)
adverb
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

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
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 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?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All