Synonyms of shame

shame 1 of 2

noun

ˈshām 

1

as in remorse

a feeling of responsibility for wrongdoing

racked with shame over her actions of the previous week

Synonyms & Similar Words

• remorse
• guilt
• regret
• remorsefulness
• sadness
• repentance
• contrition
• grief
• penitence
• rue
• sorrow
• self-reproach
• blame
• anguish
• embarrassment
• contriteness
• apology
• qualm
• compunction
• responsibility
• culpability
• chagrin
• misgiving
• scruple
• prick
• distress
• fault
• ruth
• excuses
• liability
• rap
• mea culpa
• hand-wringing
• bloodguilt
• bloodguiltiness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• impenitence
• remorselessness

2

as in pity

a regrettable or blameworthy act

it's a shame you won't be able to come to the party

Synonyms & Similar Words

• pity
• disgrace
• crime
• sin
• scandal
• outrage

3

as in disgrace

the state of having lost the esteem of others

left the room in shame after his angry outburst

Synonyms & Similar Words

• disgrace
• contempt
• humiliation
• dishonor
• ignominy
• stigma
• infamy
• disrepute
• disdain
• discredit
• reproach
• odium
• opprobrium
• obloquy
• scandal
• disapproval
• disesteem
• taint
• scorn
• despite
• degradation
• stain
• disapprobation
• dust
• abasement
• debasement
• blot
• brand
• deprecation
• humbling
• disfavor
• slur
• debasing
• shadow
• spot
• smirch

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• respect
• honor
• esteem
• fear
• regard
• appreciation
• admiration
• estimation
• glory
• reverence
• awe
• fame
• renown
• repute

shame

2 of 2

verb

as in to humiliate

to reduce to a lower standing in one's own eyes or in others' eyes

shamed the family name with his conviction for embezzlement

Synonyms & Similar Words

• humiliate
• discredit
• disgrace
• embarrass
• humble
• dishonor
• confuse
• degrade
• insult
• demean
• rattle
• cheapen
• debase
• take down
• abase
• criticize
• chasten
• lower
• foul
• diminish
• sink
• ridicule
• minimize
• smirch
• detract
• disparage
• mortify
• belittle
• faze
• disconcert
• discount
• confound
• decry
• libel
• condemn
• slander
• affront
• write off
• depreciate
• fluster
• defame
• discountenance
• malign
• castigate
• discomfit
• cry down
• damn
• abash
• defile
• put down
• censure
• denounce
• nonplus
• bad-mouth
• execrate
• reprehend
• reprobate

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• honor
• applaud
• commend
• recognize
• celebrate
• congratulate
• praise
• acknowledge
• exalt
• boast
• elevate
• cheer
• compliment
• salute
• laud
• aggrandize
• cite
• extol
• highlight
• deify
• hail
• acclaim
• canonize
• decorate
• eulogize
• tout
• fete
• spotlight
• dignify
• glorify
• promote
• magnify
• play up
• advance
• enshrine
• lift
• ennoble
• raise
• boost
• upgrade
• uplift
• enthrone
• idealize
• romanticize
• ensky

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of shame

Noun

This defiance can be thought of as a refusal to feel shame—or, at least, as the confidence to believe that the shamers are wrong. — Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2026

To her, there’s no shame in airing out your baggage and confessing your feelings in a single song. — Jaeden Pinder, Rolling Stone, 14 Sep. 2026

Verb

Amid the jubilation, there is a darker side to the liberation as woman who fraternized with German soldiers are tracked down and publicly shamed. — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 31 Aug. 2026

Activists found her online database and have used it to organize hundreds of protests across the country against these companies, shaming them into cutting ties with ICE. — Nick Penzenstadler, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026