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The Difference Between Abashed and Unabashed
To abash someone is to shake up their composure or self-possession, as illustrated by Charlotte Brontë in her 1849 novel Shirley: “He had never blushed in his life; no humiliation could abash him.” When you are unabashed you make no apologies for your behavior, nor do you attempt to hide or disguise it; but when you are abashed your confidence has been thrown off and you may feel rather inferior or ashamed of yourself. English speakers have been using abashed to describe feelings of embarrassment since the 14th century, but they have only used unabashed (brazenly or otherwise) since the 15th century (not that there’s anything wrong with that).
Examples of unabashed in a Sentence
Selome Hailu, Variety, 1 Dec. 2025
His was an inclusive élitism, an invitation into a life of unabashed, unstoppable thinking.
—Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 30 Nov. 2025
Not only is her delivery hilarious, but having Forest Whitaker’s daughter play an unabashed Hollywood nepo baby is a sly bit of meta casting that pays off big time here.
—Caroline Framke, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2025
Luigi Avantaggiato Wahlberg is an unabashed fan of moths.
—Glenn Zorpette, IEEE Spectrum, 4 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unabashed
Cite this Entry
“Unabashed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unabashed. Accessed 5 Dec. 2025.
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