SHAME Synonyms: 190 Similar and Opposite Words

shame 1 of 2

noun

ˈshām

Definition of shame

as in remorse

a feeling of responsibility for wrongdoing racked with shame over her actions of the previous week

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in pity

a regrettable or blameworthy act it's a shame you won't be able to come to the party

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as in disgrace

the state of having lost the esteem of others left the room in shame after his angry outburst

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

shame

2 of 2

verb

as in to humiliate

to reduce to a lower standing in one's own eyes or in others' eyes shamed the family name with his conviction for embezzlement

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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of shame

Noun

Guaranteed or not, with Watson entering the final year of the deal, the Haslams and front office could’ve shown some shame by cutting their losses and moving on. — Candace Buckner, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026 Essay Mine for Life Rudrapriya Rathore On the shame of mentorship. — Naomi Skwarna, hazlitt.net, 25 Aug. 2026

Verb

Their songs confronted rape culture, body shaming and the politics of gender while making room for queerness, friendship and collective strength — subjects that, as the band now sees it, remain painfully current. — Spin Staff, SPIN, 19 Aug. 2026 The burnout duo, who live in an LA apartment dubbed Casa de Chill Zone, put Cheech and Chong to shame with their reefer madness. — Katie Walsh, Variety, 13 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for shame

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shame

Noun

But what ultimately saves the film is Hathaway's remarkable restraint in conveying Kym's deep pain and remorse over an unimaginable family tragedy.

— Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2026
Visits by Japanese leaders frequently draw criticism from China and South Korea, which see them as a sign of insufficient remorse for Japan’s wartime aggression.

— ABC News, ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of remorse

Noun

Maceta, moved to pity at times, would put an ear to his friend’s chest and hear how Ruiz’s heart leaped about inside his body, as though trying to fly apart.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Aug. 2026
The actress was at a tipping point in her career, shifting from easily relatable protagonists to more complicated characters who didn’t require our affection or our pity.

— Chris Bellamy, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of pity

Noun

When Spiro Agnew resigned in disgrace over tax evasion, Kennerly was tapped to photograph one of his potential replacements as vice president, Gerald Ford.

— ABC News, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026
Until Graham Platner’s Maine Senate campaign exploded in disgrace, Platner was routinely cast as a son of privilege playing Carhartt dress-up.

— Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of disgrace

Noun

Meta doesn’t have to admit guilt and almost a third of the fine is contingent on competitors adopting similar measures.

— Diane Brady, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2026
Maybe Druckenmiller owning his AI use and receiving the Journal’s blessing heralds a new era of guilt-free mechanized writing.

— Will Oremus, The Atlantic, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of guilt

Verb

In trying to discredit public concerns about data centers as a psyop, Goldman and others said, tech leaders are taking a page out of the intelligence playbook themselves.

— Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2026
Inflicting these details on the jury, the children’s family members, and the public served no discernible purpose in establishing Clancy’s mens rea, which might have discredited her not-guilty plea.

— Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of discredit

Verb

Or from locking up Mick Cronin through 2030, even though UCLA’s prickly basketball coach embarrasses the university annually and hasn’t reached a Sweet 16 since 2023.

— Mirjam Swanson, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
The comprehensive regimen is meant to uncover any prior criminal conduct in an applicant’s past as well as embarrassing personal information that could make an employee vulnerable to blackmail.

— Eric Tucker, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of embarrass

Browse Nearby Words

shambolic

shame

shamed

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Style

“Shame.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shame. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of shame

noun

verb

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