shame

plural shames

1. uncountableusuallyAn uncomfortable or painful feeling due to recognition or consciousness of one's own impropriety or dishonor, or something being exposed that should have been kept private.

   When I realized that I had hurt my friend, I felt deep shame.

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   The teenager couldn’t bear the shame of introducing his parents.

   When he had saied no: what (ſaid Ariſtippus) is it ſhame to ſaile in a Shippe, that hath afoꝛetymes caried a great nomber mo: […]

   1564 February, Erasmus, “The Saiynges of Aristippus”, in Nicolas Udall [i.e., Nicholas Udall], transl., Apophthegmes, that is to Saie, Prompte, Quicke, Wittie and Sentẽcious Saiynges, […], London: […] Ihon Kingston, →OCLC, book I, folio 43, verso, paragraph 42

   Have you no modesty, no maiden shame?

   c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “A Midsommer Nights Dreame”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i]

   When this conversation was repeated in detail within the hearing of the young woman in question, and undoubtedly for his benefit, Mr. Trevor threw shame to the winds and scandalized the Misses Brewster then and there by proclaiming his father to have been a country storekeeper.

   1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter V, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC

   Synonyms: dishonor

2. uncountableusuallySomething to regret.

   It was a shame not to see the show after driving all that way.

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   Nor can thy ſhame giue phiſicke to my griefe,

   1609, William Shakespeare, “Sonnet 34”, in Shake-speares Sonnets. […], London: By G[eorge] Eld for T[homas] T[horpe] and are to be sold by William Aspley, →OCLC

   And what you do to me is a shame.

   1977, Evelyn "Champagne" King, Shame

   But why does it always seem to be / Me lookin' at you, you lookin' at me / It's always the same, it's just a shame, that's all

   1983 October 31, Genesis, “That's All”, in Genesis

   Time is running out, so I renounce a spin on a Class 387 for a fast run to Paddington on another Class 800 – a shame as the weather was perfect for pictures. Even so, it's enjoyable – boy, can those trains shift under the wires.

   2020 December 2, Paul Bigland, “My weirdest and wackiest Rover yet”, in Rail, page 68

   Synonyms: dishonor, humiliation, mortification, pity

3. uncountableusuallyReproach incurred or suffered; dishonour; ignominy; derision.

   Honour and shame from no condition rise.

   1733, [Alexander Pope], An Essay on Man. […], (please specify |epistle=I to IV), London: […] J[ohn] Wilford, […], →OCLC

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   […] because ye haue borne the shame of the heathen,

   1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Ezekiel 36:6

   And every woe a tear can claim Except an erring sister's shame.

   1813, Lord Byron, The Giaour

4. uncountableusuallyThe cause or reason of shame; that which brings reproach and ignominy.

   guides who are the shame of religion

   1692–1717, Robert South, Twelve Sermons Preached upon Several Occasions, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London

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   Rimmer ducked his body low into his chair, so just his head remained above the table top, and peered past the backs of the examinees in front of him, waiting for the adjudicator to make his move. Waiting for him to leap forward and rip off his flimsy flightsuit, exposing his shame: his illustrated body, Rimmer's cheating frame.

   1989, Grant Naylor, Red Dwarf: Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers

5. uncountableusuallyThat which is shameful and private, especially private parts.

   His genitals lank between his legs, his chin dipped upon his breast, staring down at his shame.

   2015, Marion Grace Woolley, Those Rosy Hours at Mazandaran, Ghostwoods Books, page 182

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   And he took fig-leaves and sewed (them) together, and made an apron for himself, and covered his shame.

   1902, R. H. Charles, transl., The book of Jubilees, or The little Genesis, London: A. and C. Black, 3:22, page 26

   She turns to lift her robe, and lays it across her as though she were revealing her shame, as though she were naked.

   1991, Martha Graham, Blood Memory, Washington Square Press

   She didn't even have her handbag, because Zelda had thoughtfully left it in the kitchen along with her clothes. And nobody had even offered her so much as a T-shirt to cover her shame.

   2010, Jill Mansell, Millie's Fling, →ISBN

   The trouble started early this morning when Pop was shoving his shirt and vest into his pants so he could cover his shame, as he puts it.

   2015, Marlene van Niekerk, Triomf, →ISBN

6. uncountableusuallyThe capacity to be ashamed, inhibiting one from brazen behaviour; due regard for one's own moral conduct and how one is perceived by others; restraint, moderation, decency.

   Don't you have any shame?

1. A cry of admonition for the subject of a speech, either to denounce the speaker or to agree with the speaker's denunciation of some person or matter; often used reduplicated, especially in political debates.

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   Mr John Golding: One would not realise that it came from the same Government, because in that letter the Under-Secretary states: "The future of BT's pension scheme is a commercial matter between BT, its workforce, and the trustees of the pensions scheme, and the Government cannot give any guarantees about future pension arrangements." #*: Mr. Charles R. Morris: Shame.

   1982, “Telecommunications Bill”, in Hansard

   […] the Duke of Dorset charged in the list with "not known, but supposed forty thousand per year" (charitable supposition) had when formerly in office only about 3 or £4,000, and has not now, nor when the black list was printed, any office whatever — (Much tumult, and cries of "shame" and "doust the liars")

   1831, The Bristol Job Nott; or, Labouring Man's Friend

2. abbreviationellipsisEllipsis of what a shame; expressing disappointment or sympathy

   Shame, you poor thing, you must be cold!

   Synonyms: what a pity, bad luck, cuhdear, hard lines, hard luck, pity, too bad, tough luck

comparative more shame · superlative most shame

1. AustralianEmbarrassed and shy, particularly because one is the subject of attention.

   She says that she doesn't touch them, this is important, sometimes maybe a handshake may make them more shame, that is shy or embarrassed.

   1998, Robyn Lynn, Rosamund Thorpe, Debra Miles with Christine Cutts, Anne Butcher, Linda Ford, 'Murri way!': Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders reconstruct social welfare practice, Centre for Social Research, →ISBN, page 47

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   Int.[:] What types of things have you learnt about at AIME, like about yourselves or about others? Deon[:] To be confident. Greg[:] Yeah be confident. And not be shame…

   2018, Anthony McKnight, Valerie Harwood, Samantha McMahon, Amy Priestly, Jake Trindorfer, “'No shame at AIME': listening to Aboriginal philosophy and methodologies to theorise shame in educational contexts”, in The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, volume 49, number 1, →DOI, page 52 of 46–56

   Aunty Gracelyn is most famous for her role in developing 'Condoman', the Indigenous superhero whose catchcry and public health message 'don’t be shame be game, use condoms!' became a defining figure of Australia's HIV and AIDS crisis.

   2024, Geraldine Fela, “Don't be shame, be game! Responding to HIV and AIDS in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities”, in History Australia, volume 21, number 2, →DOI, page 262 of 261–279

2. AustralianCausing embarrassment or shyness.

   "A lot of the time when we want to do stuff we'll be like, 'Oh no, that's shame — I don't want to do that because I'll be on my own'," Headland told NIT.

   2021 June 1, “Danielle Headland seeking to inspire future Indigenous health workers”, in National Indigenous Times

present singular third person shames · participle present shaming · participle past shamed · past shamed · first person past singular shamed · archaic present second person singular shamest · past second person singular shamed · archaic past second person singular shamedst · present singular third person shames · archaic present singular third person shameth · past singular third person shamed · past plural shamed · past subjunctive shamed · participle present shaming · participle past shamed

1. transitiveTo cause to feel shame.

   I was shamed by the teacher's public disapproval.

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   Were there but one righteous in the world, he would[…]shame the world, and not the world him.

   1692–1717, Robert South, Twelve Sermons Preached upon Several Occasions, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London

   Synonyms: abash, demean, humiliate, insult, mortify, confound

2. transitiveTo cover with reproach or ignominy; to dishonor; to disgrace.

   And with fowle cowardize his carcas ſhame,

   1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto VIII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 13, page 295

3. transitiveTo denounce as having done something shameful; to criticize with the intent or effect of causing a feeling of shame.

   Stop shaming others about their food choices.

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   It is disgraceful that you should be used by adults for the purpose of trying to shame us because our extraction of timber from our forests.

   1987 August 15, Mahathir Mohamad, Mahathir Mohamad's letter to Darrell Abercrombie

4. transitiveTo drive or compel by shame.

   The politician was shamed into resigning.

5. intransitiveobsoleteTo feel shame, be ashamed.

   I do ſhame to thinke of what a noble ſtraine you are, and of how coward a ſpirit.

   c. 1607–1608 (date written), William Shakespeare, [George Wilkins?], The Late, and Much Admired Play, Called Pericles, Prince of Tyre. […], London: […] [William White and Thomas Creede] for Henry Gosson, […], published 1609, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iii]

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   Broder she said I can not telle yow For it was not done by me nor by myn assente For he is my lord and I am his and he must be myn husband therfore my broder I wille that ye wete I shame me not to be with hym nor to doo hym alle the pleasyr that I can

   1485, Sir Thomas Malory, chapter XXII, in Le Morte Darthur, book VII

6. obsoletetransitiveTo mock at; to deride.

   Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the Lord is his refuge.

   1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Psalms 14:6