1
a
: bringing shame : disgraceful
b
: arousing the feeling of shame
2
archaic
: full of the feeling of shame : ashamed
shamefulness
noun
Examples of shameful in a Sentence
There is no excuse for such shameful behavior.
shameful behavior by a bunch of drunken boors
Recent Examples on the Web
Something shameful felt very near, almost on top of him.
—
Mary Gaitskill, New Yorker, 22 Feb. 2026
That doesn’t mean things have always been done right; reports that police and sanitation workers have in some circumstances simply discarded or destroyed inhabitants’ belongings without giving them the ability to pack up are shameful.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 19 Feb. 2026
To acknowledge the troubling, shameful aspects of American history is not to denigrate the Founders but to see them, and the others who made their livelihoods possible, as people.
—Adam Harris, The Atlantic, 19 Feb. 2026
There are so many reasons to be mad; the mostly baseless and endless attacks on higher education, the dismantling of life-saving research, ICE, the subverting of policy that redresses shameful social harms.
—Wendy Nelson Espeland, Mercury News, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shameful
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Mary Gaitskill, New Yorker, 22 Feb. 2026
That doesn’t mean things have always been done right; reports that police and sanitation workers have in some circumstances simply discarded or destroyed inhabitants’ belongings without giving them the ability to pack up are shameful.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 19 Feb. 2026
To acknowledge the troubling, shameful aspects of American history is not to denigrate the Founders but to see them, and the others who made their livelihoods possible, as people.
—Adam Harris, The Atlantic, 19 Feb. 2026
There are so many reasons to be mad; the mostly baseless and endless attacks on higher education, the dismantling of life-saving research, ICE, the subverting of policy that redresses shameful social harms.
—Wendy Nelson Espeland, Mercury News, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shameful
Cite this Entry
“Shameful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shameful. Accessed 25 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
