Ashamed: Definition, Examples, and Common Usage

Meaning 1：feeling guilty or embarrassed (Ashamed)

Ashamed 🔊

/əˈʃeɪmd/

adj.

Feeling bad or guilty because you did something wrong or think you are not good enough.

Ashamed person sitting alone after making a mistake

feeling guilty or embarrassed 🔊

➕

/ˈfiːlɪŋ ˈɡɪlti ɔːr ɪmˈbærəst/

adj.

Experiencing a painful sense of having done something wrong, often accompanied by a desire to hide or apologize.

📁 Category：Physical & Mental Health 🔖 Level：intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

Prefix 'a-' (intensifier) + 'shame' + '-ed', from Old English 'ascamod'.

💡 Mnemonic

Think 'a shame' + 'ed' = you feel 'a shame' and become ashamed. Picture a red face of shame.

📖 Example

After he accidentally broke his sister's favorite vase, he felt ashamed and promised to buy a new one. 🔊 After accidentally breaking his sister's favorite vase, he felt ashamed and promised to buy a new one.

🔗 Collocations

feel ashamed – to experience shame

be ashamed of – to feel shame about something

ashamed to admit – feeling too embarrassed to confess

🔄 Synonyms

embarrassed (adj.) – feeling self-conscious or awkward

mortified (adj.) – extremely embarrassed or humiliated

humiliated (adj.) – made to feel ashamed or foolish

🚫 Antonyms

proud (adj.) – feeling satisfaction and self-respect

unashamed (adj.) – not feeling shame or embarrassment

shameless (adj.) – lacking any sense of shame

🌱 Derivatives

ashamedly (adv.) – in a way that shows shame

shame (n.) – a painful feeling of humiliation

shameful (adj.) – causing shame; disgraceful

📖 Cultural Story

Derives from Old English 'ascamod' (past participle of 'ascamian'), meaning 'to feel shame'. The root 'shame' traces to Proto-Germanic 'skama', referring to covering one's face in disgrace.