shame

SHAYM/ʃeɪm/

14 meanings of shame

1
self-blamenoununcountable
A painful feeling caused by awareness of one's own wrongdoing or dishonor, or by having something private exposed.
A wave of shame washed over him as the secret came out.
She lowered her eyes in shame when the teacher read her note aloud.
UsageCommon in feel shame, hang your head in shame and couldn't bear the shame. To describe the person, use ashamed.
Similarembarrassment, humiliation, guilt, mortification
Oppositepride
Note
Shakespeare's "Have you no modesty, no maiden shame?" leans toward the restraining sense of decency, a reminder of how closely the two run.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
The quoted words are Shakespeare's, spoken by Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act III, Scene II; they begin a longer question about modesty and bashfulness. gutenberg.org
2
sad factnoununcountable
An unfortunate or regrettable thing; a cause for disappointment.
It's such a shame the old theater is closing after fifty years.
What a shame that talent like hers goes unnoticed.
UsageUsually it's a shame or what a shame, often followed by that + clause or to + verb.
Similarpity
Note
Nobody is blamed; the speaker simply regrets an outcome, which is why it sits easily in pop lyrics, as in a Genesis song that shrugs off a disappointment as simply a shame and nothing more.
3
public disgracenoununcountable
Dishonor or disgrace brought on by reproach; loss of respect and standing.
The defeat brought lasting shame upon the once-proud regiment.
He bore the shame of his family's bankruptcy for years.
UsageCommon with bring and bear: bring shame on a family, bear the shame of it.
Similardisgrace, dishonor, humiliation, ignominy
Oppositehonor, glory
Note
Its natural opposite is honor, and Alexander Pope pairs the two in An Essay on Man (1733–34). The King James Bible of 1611 speaks of having borne the shame of the heathen.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 4 facts
Alexander Pope pairs honor and shame in An Essay on Man. gutenberg.org
An Essay on Man was first published in installments in 1733–1734. gutenberg.org
The King James Bible was first published in 1611. wwwe.lib.cam.ac.uk
The King James Bible speaks of having borne the shame of the heathen, in Ezekiel 36:6. en.wikisource.org
4
blame publiclyverbtransitive
To publicly denounce or criticize someone in order to make them feel shame.
Activists shamed the corporation for polluting the river.
The tabloids tried to shame her for her past.
UsageOften shame someone for or about a supposed fault; the noun shaming is common, as in body shaming.
Similardenounce, condemn, pillory, humiliate
Oppositepraise, commend
Note
Mahathir Mohamad's 1987 letter protests at attempts "to shame us" over timber taken from "our forests," a case of the verb used against a whole country.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
Mahathir Mohamad wrote the letter in 1987. sochaczewski.com
The letter protests attempts to shame Malaysia over timber extraction and contains the exact phrases quoted. sochaczewski.com
5
make feel smallverbtransitive
To make someone feel ashamed, sometimes in order to push them into doing something.
Her calm, honest apology shamed him more than any angry words could have.
Her generosity would shame anyone into giving a little more.
UsageOften shame someone into doing something.
Similarhumiliate, embarrass, mortify
6
decencynoununcountable
The capacity to feel shame, which holds a person back from shameless behavior; a sense of decency and restraint.
He acted without any shame, cutting in line ahead of the elderly.
Have you no shame, taking credit for someone else's work?
UsageMostly in questions and negatives: Have you no shame?, Don't you have any shame?, without any shame.
Similardecency, modesty, conscience
Note
Saying someone has no shame is sharper than saying they feel none about one act. It denies them the inner brake on brazen behavior altogether.
7
cry of disapprovalinterjection
Called out to denounce a speaker or to back another's denunciation, often shouted twice in political debates.
“Shame! Shame!” the opposition benches roared as the minister sat down.
Members rose to their feet shouting “Shame!” at the announcement.
Note
It can be aimed at the speaker or offered in support of the speaker's attack on someone else, so context decides who is being shamed. Hansard records it in a 1982 debate on the Telecommunications Bill, and The Bristol Job Nott shows it in political use in the early 1830s.
8
dishonor (someone)verbtransitive
To bring reproach and disgrace upon someone; to dishonor.
The scandal shamed a dynasty that had ruled for centuries.
He feared his failure would shame his ancestors.
Similardisgrace, dishonor, discredit
Oppositehonor
9
a disgracenoununcountable
A person or thing that brings reproach and dishonor onto others; a cause of disgrace.
He was branded a shame to his noble family.
Their cowardice was a shame to the entire regiment.
UsageCommon in a shame to: a shame to his family. Don't confuse it with it's a shame, meaning it's a pity.
Similardisgrace, embarrassment
Oppositecredit
Note
This sense points at the culprit: a person or deed that disgraces others, as when Robert South calls false spiritual guides "the very shame of religion."

Less common meanings

10
embarrassedadjectiveAustralia
In Aboriginal English, feeling ashamed, shy, or embarrassed, especially in front of other people.
The kids were too shame to talk to the visitors.
Don't be shame to ask the elders for help.
UsageUsually after be, often with too: too shame to talk. Other varieties say ashamed or shy.
Similarashamed, embarrassed, shy
Note
Its best-known outing is the public health slogan "don't be shame be game, use condoms!" from the Condoman campaign during Australia's HIV and AIDS crisis. Writers glossing it reach for shy or embarrassed, so it covers shyness as much as guilt.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
The Condoman public health campaign used the slogan “don't be shame be game, use condoms!” slq.qld.gov.au
Condoman and its slogan were associated with Australia's HIV and AIDS crisis. research-management.mq.edu.au
11
poor thinginterjectionSouth Africa
Used to express sympathy or tender feeling toward someone or something.
“Shame, she's been waiting all day for news.”
When the baby started crying, her aunt cooed, “Ag, shame, what's wrong?”
UsageOften Ag, shame or Shame, you poor thing; it shows sympathy, not disapproval.
Similarpity
Note
South African English turns the cry inside out: Shame, you poor thing, you must be cold! Far from reproach, it is close to what a pity, said warmly to or about someone in difficulty. Listeners from elsewhere can mishear it as the parliamentary cry of disapproval, so tone and situation carry the meaning.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
The example expresses sympathy in South African English. en.wikipedia.org
Shame is also used as a parliamentary cry of disapproval. api.parliament.uk
People outside South Africa can interpret the sympathetic expression as criticism. wereldwyd.co.za
12
private partsnoununcountable
A modest term for what is shameful and private, especially the genitals.
The fig leaf concealed Adam's shame in the old painting.
She wrapped a robe about her, covering her shame from the strangers.
UsageOften used in cover one's shame.
Similarnakedness
Note
R. H. Charles's 1902 translation of The Book of Jubilees uses it for what Adam's fig-leaf apron covers. Modern uses often carry a wink. Jill Mansell's heroine has no T-shirt to cover her shame, and Marlene van Niekerk's Pop covers his shame "as he puts it."
13
verbobsoletetransitive
To mock or deride someone.
Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the Lord is his refuge.
1611, The Holy Bible, King James Version
Note
In older English the verb could mean open mockery rather than moral pressure. The King James Bible of 1611 has "Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor," meaning scorned it. Modern readers tend to hear the sense of bringing disgrace in that line, so the older meaning is worth knowing when reading early texts.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 4 facts
The verb historically meant to mock or deride. en.wiktionary.org
The King James Bible was first published in 1611. bridwell.omeka.net
The quotation occurs in Psalm 14:6. en.wikisource.org
The biblical quotation exemplifies the meaning 'scorned' or 'derided'. en.wiktionary.org
14
verbobsoleteintransitive
To feel shame; to be ashamed.
I do ſhame to thinke of what a noble ſtraine you are, and of how coward a ſpirit.
c. 1607, William Shakespeare, [George Wilkins?]
Note
Old English sċamian, the verb's root, already meant feeling shame, as Dutch schamen still means "to be ashamed." Older English could say it with the verb alone. Malory writes "I shame me not to be with hym" in 1485, using it reflexively, and Shakespeare has "I do shame to thinke." Both lead into a further verb.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 8 facts
The English verb descends from Old English sċamian through Middle English. en.wiktionary.org
Old English sċamian meant to feel shame. en.wiktionary.org
Dutch schamen means 'to be ashamed', used reflexively. en.wiktionary.org
Older English used shame itself to mean 'be ashamed'. en.wiktionary.org
Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur contains the quoted reflexive construction in Book VII, chapter XXII. en.wiktionary.org
1485 is the work's first publication year. en.wikipedia.org
Shakespeare's Pericles contains the quoted words, spoken by Dionyza in Act IV, scene iii. folgerdigitaltexts.org
Both quotations follow shame with an infinitive: 'to be' and 'to thinke'. en.wiktionary.org

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of shame apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 1–3, 6–7, 9–12

Proto-Germanic *skamō gave Old English sċamu, which became Middle English schame. German Scham, Swedish skam and Icelandic skömm, which all mean "shame," are related.

Meanings 4–5, 8, 13–14

Proto-Germanic *skamāną led through Proto-West Germanic *skamēn to Old English sċamian, later Middle English schamen. Related verbs include Dutch schamen and German schämen ("to be ashamed") and Gothic skaman.