: causing feelings of shame
The facts are too shaming for a proud nation to remember.—
Niger Calder
Niger Calder… for me it's a shaming reminder that for five and a half months I let a man call me "Baby Bear" …—Tina Brown
Tina BrownWhat happened at Enron … was indeed a shaming episode in the history of US capitalism.—Geoffrey Owen
Geoffrey Owen… books that if they are left unread are truly shaming …—Jeff Reid
Jeff Reid
shamingly
adverb
I was reduced to ringing. Got the answering machine. Her voice—but insultingly impersonal, shamingly stilted.
—Michael Frayn
Michael Frayn
plural shamings
: the act or activity of subjecting someone to shame, disgrace, humiliation, or disrepute especially by public exposure or criticism
Other times they would take more aggressive measures, tracking down and exposing the identities of supposed wrongdoers who the group felt had not been brought to justice. Public shaming is a standard tool for this kind of activism …—Emily Bazelon
Emily BazelonBetween 1957 and 1961, he … managed to rig the outcomes of at least 43 [college basketball] games, leading to the arrests of 37 players and the shaming of several others.—Eric Konigsberg
Eric KonigsbergAs the parade of … public shamings on Capitol Hill has shown …, the wealthy may not be universally loved, but they're America's favorite spectacle.—James Poniewozik
James PoniewozikExamples of shaming in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Sylvia Lu, The Conversation, 8 May 2025
The Slap became so incessant and overblown that the reflections that dominate Smith’s new album are a natural and healthy response to such intense public shaming.
—Mankaprr Conteh, Rolling Stone, 31 Mar. 2025
Several argued that they had been subjected to an unfair process, and had been tormented with the fear of public shaming and the ensuing consequences for their careers.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 12 Apr. 2025
Trending Stories When asked by NPR’s Up First host A Martínez about criticisms that Pop The Balloon promotes colorism and body shaming, Amuli said the viral moments can’t represent the average experience on the show.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shaming
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Noun
Victims of nonconsensual intimate image abuse suffer harassment, online stalking, ruined job prospects, public shaming and emotional trauma.
—Sylvia Lu, The Conversation, 8 May 2025
The Slap became so incessant and overblown that the reflections that dominate Smith’s new album are a natural and healthy response to such intense public shaming.
—Mankaprr Conteh, Rolling Stone, 31 Mar. 2025
Several argued that they had been subjected to an unfair process, and had been tormented with the fear of public shaming and the ensuing consequences for their careers.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 12 Apr. 2025
Trending Stories When asked by NPR’s Up First host A Martínez about criticisms that Pop The Balloon promotes colorism and body shaming, Amuli said the viral moments can’t represent the average experience on the show.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shaming
Cite this Entry
“Shaming.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shaming. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
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