Need another word that means the same as “shame”? Find 69 synonyms and 30 related words for “shame” in this overview.
The synonyms of “Shame” are: disgrace, ignominy, pity, humiliation, mortification, chagrin, loss of face, shamefacedness, embarrassment, indignity, abashment, discomfort, discomfiture, discomposure, guilt, remorse, contrition, compunction, dishonour, discredit, degradation, disrepute, infamy, scandal, odium, opprobrium, obloquy, condemnation, contempt, discredit to, disgrace to, stain on, blemish on, blot on, blot on the escutcheon of, slur on, reproach to, bad reflection on, misfortune, crying shame, cause for regret, source of regret, unfortunate thing, attaint, dishonor, humiliate, mortify, make someone feel ashamed, embarrass, abash, chasten, humble, put someone in their place, take down a peg or two, cut down to size, show up, outshining, overshadowing, excelling, outstripping, outdistancing, outdoing, transcending, dwarfing, upstaging, shaming
Shame as a Noun
Definitions of "Shame" as a noun
According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “shame” as a noun can have the following definitions:
- A state of dishonor.
- A painful feeling of humiliation or distress caused by the consciousness of wrong or foolish behaviour.
- An unfortunate development.
- A regrettable or unfortunate situation or action.
- A person, action, or situation that brings a loss of respect or honour.
- A painful emotion resulting from an awareness of inadequacy or guilt.
- A loss of respect or esteem; dishonour.
Synonyms of "Shame" as a noun (43 Words)
abashment | Feeling embarrassed due to modesty. |
bad reflection on | That which is below standard or expectations as of ethics or decency. |
blemish on | A mark or flaw that spoils the appearance of something (especially on a person’s body. |
blot on | A blemish made by dirt. |
blot on the escutcheon of | An act that brings discredit to the person who does it. |
cause for regret | A comprehensive term for any proceeding in a court of law whereby an individual seeks a legal remedy. |
chagrin | Annoyance or distress at having failed or been humiliated. To my chagrin he was nowhere to be seen. |
compunction | A feeling of deep regret (usually for some misdeed. They used their tanks without compunction. |
condemnation | A final judgment of guilty in a criminal case and the punishment that is imposed. His uncompromising condemnation of racism. |
contempt | A manner that is generally disrespectful and contemptuous. Pam stared at the girl with total contempt. |
contrition | (in the Roman Catholic Church) the repentance of past sins during or after confession. Prayers of contrition. |
crying shame | The process of shedding tears (usually accompanied by sobs or other inarticulate sounds. |
degradation | The condition or process of degrading or being degraded. A trail of human misery and degradation. |
discomfiture | A feeling of unease or embarrassment; awkwardness. Many MPs are secretly enjoying his discomfiture. |
discomfort | The state of being tense and feeling pain. The patient complained of discomfort in the left calf. |
discomposure | The state or feeling of being disturbed or agitated; agitation. She laughed to mask her discomposure. |
discredit | A person or thing that is a source of disgrace. The ships were a discredit to the country. |
discredit to | The state of being held in low esteem. |
disgrace | Loss of reputation or respect as the result of a dishonourable action. He left the army in disgrace. |
disgrace to | A state of dishonor. |
dishonour | Lacking honor or integrity. They have brought dishonour upon our family. |
disrepute | The state of being held in low esteem. One of the top clubs in the country is bringing the game into disrepute. |
embarrassment | A person or thing causing feelings of embarrassment. He was an embarrassment who was safely left ignored. |
guilt | Remorse caused by feeling responsible for some offense. It is the duty of the prosecution to prove the prisoner s guilt. |
humiliation | An instance in which you are caused to lose your prestige or self-respect. He fought back tears of humiliation. |
ignominy | A state of dishonor. The ignominy of being imprisoned. |
indignity | An affront to one’s dignity or self-esteem. The indignity of needing financial help. |
infamy | A state of extreme dishonor. A day that will live in infamy. |
loss of face | The disadvantage that results from losing something. |
misfortune | Bad luck. Never laugh at other people s misfortunes. |
mortification | The action of subduing one’s bodily desires. They mistook my mortification for an admission of guilt. |
obloquy | State of disgrace resulting from public abuse. Conduct to which no more obloquy could reasonably attach. |
odium | General or widespread hatred or disgust incurred by someone as a result of their actions. He incurred widespread odium for military failures and government corruption. |
opprobrium | A state of extreme dishonor- F.D.Roosevelt. The critical opprobrium generated by his films. |
pity | The feeling of sorrow and compassion caused by the suffering and misfortunes of others. The blind are too often objects of pity. |
remorse | Deep regret or guilt for a wrong committed. They were filled with remorse and shame. |
reproach to | A mild rebuke or criticism. |
scandal | Rumour or malicious gossip about scandalous events or actions. A bribery scandal involving one of his key supporters. |
shamefacedness | Feeling embarrassed about yourself. |
slur on | A curved line spanning notes that are to be played legato. |
source of regret | A document (or organization) from which information is obtained. |
stain on | A dye or other coloring material that is used in microscopy to make structures visible. |
unfortunate thing | A person who suffers misfortune. |
Usage Examples of "Shame" as a noun
- One mistake brought shame to all his family.
- She was hot with shame.
- What a shame Ellie won't be here.
- He felt a pang of shame at telling Alice a lie.
- It is a shame that they are not better known.
- Ignorance of Latin would be a disgrace and a shame to any public man.
- The incident had brought shame on his family.
Shame as a Verb
Definitions of "Shame" as a verb
According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “shame” as a verb can have the following definitions:
- Compel through a sense of shame.
- Bring shame or dishonor upon.
- Surpass or beat by a wide margin.
- Cause (someone) to feel inadequate by outdoing or surpassing them.
- Make (someone) feel ashamed.
- Cause to be ashamed.
- Bring shame to.
Synonyms of "Shame" as a verb (26 Words)
abash | Make (someone) feel embarrassed, disconcerted, or ashamed. If anything was officially done or said to him it did not abash him. |
attaint | Subject (someone) to attainder. Even to have kicked an outsider might have been held to attaint the foot. |
chagrin | Feel distressed or humiliated. He was chagrined when his friend poured scorn on him. |
chasten | Restrain. The director was somewhat chastened by his recent flops. |
cut down to size | Make an incision or separation. |
disgrace | Bring shame or discredit on. He has been publicly disgraced for offences for which he was not guilty. |
dishonor | Bring shame or dishonor upon. He dishonored his family by committing a serious crime. |
dishonour | Bring shame or dishonor upon. Payment was by a cheque which was later dishonoured. |
dwarfing | Check the growth of. |
embarrass | Cause to be embarrassed cause to feel self conscious. He would be embarrassed by estate duty. |
excelling | Distinguish oneself. |
humble | Cause (someone) to feel less important or proud. Wales were humbled at Cardiff Arms Park by Romania. |
humiliate | Make (someone) feel ashamed and foolish by injuring their dignity and pride. He humiliated his colleague by criticising him in front of the boss. |
make someone feel ashamed | Make by combining materials and parts. |
mortify | Cause (someone) to feel very embarrassed or ashamed. They wish to return to heaven by mortifying the flesh. |
outdistancing | Go far ahead of. |
outdoing | Get the better of. |
outshining | Attract more attention and praise than others. |
outstripping | Go far ahead of. |
overshadowing | Make appear small by comparison. |
put someone in their place | Adapt. |
shaming | Cause to be ashamed. |
show up | Make visible or noticeable. |
take down a peg or two | Accept or undergo, often unwillingly. |
transcending | Be greater in scope or size than some standard. |
upstaging | Steal the show, draw attention to oneself away from someone else. |
Usage Examples of "Shame" as a verb
- She shames me with her eighty-year-old energy.
- She shamed him into making amends.
- Legal action must be taken and companies named and shamed.
- I tried to shame him into giving some away.
- The entire debacle has shamed Scotland.
Associations of "Shame" (30 Words)
ashamed | Feeling shame or guilt or embarrassment or remorse. Felt ashamed of my torn coat. |
awkward | Causing inconvenience. I felt awkward standing in front of the whole class. |
belittle | Express a negative opinion of. Don t belittle your colleagues. |
blush | A pink or pale red tinge. Kate felt herself blushing scarlet. |
chagrin | Cause to feel shame; hurt the pride of. He was chagrined when his friend poured scorn on him. |
compromising | Making or willing to make concessions. Loneliness tore through him whenever he thought of even the compromising Louis du Tillet. |
criticism | The analysis and judgement of the merits and faults of a literary or artistic work. He received a lot of criticism. |
degradation | A low or downcast state- H.L.Menchken. A trail of human misery and degradation. |
degrade | Reduce the level of land, as by erosion. She thought that many supposedly erotic pictures degraded women. |
demean | Do something that is beneath one’s dignity. I had demeaned the profession. |
disgrace | A person or thing regarded as shameful and unacceptable. He left the army in disgrace. |
disgraceful | (used of conduct or character) deserving or bringing disgrace or shame. A disgraceful waste of money. |
dishonor | Bring shame or dishonor upon. He was resigned to a life of dishonor. |
disparage | Express a negative opinion of. She disparaged her student s efforts. |
disrepute | The state of being held in low esteem by the public. One of the top clubs in the country is bringing the game into disrepute. |
embarrassing | Hard to deal with; especially causing pain or embarrassment. The embarrassing moment when she found her petticoat down around her ankles. |
embarrassment | A person or thing causing feelings of embarrassment. He is currently suffering financial embarrassments. |
flush | Denoting a type of toilet that has a flushing device. She flushed the loo. |
guilt | Make someone feel guilty especially in order to induce them to do something. It is the duty of the prosecution to prove the prisoner s guilt. |
hangdog | Having a dejected or guilty appearance; shamefaced. The hangdog and shamefaced air of the retreating enemy. |
humiliate | Cause to feel shame; hurt the pride of. You ll humiliate me in front of the whole school. |
humiliating | Making someone feel ashamed and foolish by injuring their dignity and pride. A humiliating defeat. |
humiliation | Strong feelings of embarrassment. He fought back tears of humiliation. |
ignominious | Deserving or causing public disgrace or shame. An ignominious retreat. |
ignominy | Public shame or disgrace. The ignominy of being imprisoned. |
impenitent | Not penitent or remorseful. Impenitent elitists. |
infamy | A state of extreme dishonor- F.D.Roosevelt. A date which will live in infamy. |
mortify | Cause to feel shame; hurt the pride of. Mortify the flesh. |
sin | Commit a sin. I sinned and brought shame down on us. |
stultify | Deprive of strength or efficiency; make useless or worthless. Nobody is legally allowed to stultify himself. |