ashamed

adjective

ə-ˈshāmd 

1

a

: feeling shame, guilt, or disgrace

She felt ashamed for hitting her brother.

You should be ashamed of yourself.

Losing is nothing to be ashamed of.

He was deeply ashamed of his behavior.

b

: feeling inferior or unworthy

2

: reluctant or unwilling to do something because of shame or embarrassment

I was ashamed to be seen with him.

I'm not ashamed to admit that I don't know the answer.

ashamedly

ə-ˈshā-məd-lē 

adverb

Synonyms

• guilty
• shamed
• shamefaced

Examples of ashamed in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Aghast at a foolish and quickly infamous mistake, one Free Press copy editor was ashamed to even come to work. —Neal Rubin, Detroit Free Press, 19 Oct. 2024

But unbeknownst to Sunja, Noa, ashamed of his heritage, is planning to drop out of school and run away, and his unannounced (and short-lived) return home is actually his way of bidding her farewell. —Max Gao, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Oct. 2024

Once the 2016 video was made public in May of this year, Combs quickly issued an apology and claimed to be ashamed of himself. —Dominic Patten, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2024

With this example, many of his team members probably felt embarrassed, and maybe even ashamed. —Expert Panel®, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English āscamod, past participle of āscamian to shame, from ā- (perfective prefix) + scamian to shame — more at abide, shame

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

ashamed

adjective

ə-ˈshāmd 

1

: feeling shame, guilt, or disgrace

ashamed of my behavior

2

: kept from doing something by an expectation of shame

ashamed to beg

ashamedly

-ˈshā-məd-lē 

adverb