shameful

play

adjective shame·ful \ˈshām-fəl\

Definition of shameful

1a : bringing shame : disgracefulb : arousing the feeling of shame
2 archaic : full of the feeling of shame : ashamed

shamefully

play \-fə-lē\ adverb

shamefulness

noun

See shameful defined for English-language learners

See shameful defined for kids

Examples of shameful in a Sentence

There is no excuse for such shameful behavior.
shameful behavior by a bunch of drunken boors

Recent Examples of shameful from the Web

Buckley was not alone in thinking this a shameful betrayal and organized protests against it.

— john o'sullivan, National Review, "Did William F. Buckley’s Conservative Project End in Failure?," 20 July 2017
Jasmine and I, both black, shared a secret that initiated us into a shameful sisterhood.

— robbie ann darby, SELF, "'To the Bone' and Other Eating Disorder Movies Need to Show More People Like Me," 14 July 2017
Must we be included on the list of shameful taxpayers.

— donna vickroy, Daily Southtown, "Thanks, Cook County, for turning us into soda nut-cases," 29 June 2017
Enlist moral support for your goal Debt may feel like a shameful topic, but peer support is a powerful motivator and can hold people accountable, say Isaac and Rouse.

— amrita jayakumar, USA TODAY, "Digging out: 4 keys to successful debt consolidation," 24 June 2017
ENLIST MORAL SUPPORT FOR YOUR GOAL Debt may feel like a shameful topic, but peer support is a powerful motivator and can hold people accountable, say Isaac and Rouse.

— amrita jayakumar, The Seattle Times, "4 keys to successful debt consolidation," 15 June 2017
May’s response in the wake of terrorist attacks was to pledge to dramatically curtail on civil liberties, a transparent, breathtakingly cynical, and shameful bit of fearmongering.

— alex shephard, New Republic, "Theresa May’s decision to call a snap election may be the biggest political screw-up ever.," 9 June 2017
In the past, women treated their periods as a shameful secret, but today's college students have no problems talking about it openly, Olson said.

— julie washington, cleveland.com, "Period-tracking apps give heads-up when menstrual cycle is due," 9 June 2017
So many people are feel shameful about this disease.

— bradley j. fikes, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Face to face with Pope Francis on Huntington's disease," 7 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'shameful.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of shameful

13th century

SHAMEFUL Defined for English Language Learners

shameful

play

adjective

Definition of shameful for English Language Learners

: very bad : bad enough to make someone ashamed

SHAMEFUL Defined for Kids

shameful

play

adjective shame·ful \ˈshām-fəl\

Definition of shameful for Students

: bringing shame : disgraceful “It would have been shameful to fail … when everyone knew that you could do well.” — Louisa May Alcott, Little Women