Categories: GeneralSynonyms

SHAME: Synonyms and Related Words. What is Another Word for SHAME?

Need another word that means the same as “shame”? Find 69 synonyms and 30 related words for “shame” in this overview.

Table Of Contents:

Shame as a Noun
Definitions of "Shame" as a noun
Synonyms of "Shame" as a noun (43 Words)
Usage Examples of "Shame" as a noun
Shame as a Verb
Definitions of "Shame" as a verb
Synonyms of "Shame" as a verb (26 Words)
Usage Examples of "Shame" as a verb
Associations of "Shame" (30 Words)

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.*