shameful

adjective

shame·​ful ˈshām-fəl 

1

a

: bringing shame : disgraceful

b

: arousing the feeling of shame

2

archaic : full of the feeling of shame : ashamed

shamefully

ˈshām-fə-lē 

adverb

shamefulness noun

Synonyms of shameful

• notorious
• infamous
• shady
• immoral
• criminal
• disgraceful

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

Last week, during my third visit to wartime Ukraine, Russia set another shameful record by firing 30 missiles and nearly 1,000 Shahed drones during a 24-hour period (March 23-24). —Max Boot, Washington Post, 30 Mar. 2026

This biased and bigoted action by USC to manipulate the data to exclude every qualified Black, Latino, and API candidate in favor of a less qualified white candidate is shameful. —Dominic Patten, Deadline, 18 Mar. 2026

Why would that be a shameful identity to have? —Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 15 Mar. 2026

This shocking cowardice and sheer abandonment of any pretense of ethics or values are rendered even more shameful when considering that Noem was brought down by polls, likely more than anything else. —Chicago Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

shameful

adjective

shame·​ful ˈshām-fəl 

1

: bringing shame

shameful behavior

2

: arousing the feeling of shame

a shameful sight

shamefully

-fə-lē 

adverb

shamefulness

-fəl-nəs

noun