as in guilty
suffering from or expressive of a feeling of responsibility for wrongdoing
the newspaper offered a shamefaced apology for having published photographs that were later exposed as fakes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of shamefaced
His Memoirs contain only a single, shamefaced mention of this wife’s name.
—
Benjamin Kunkel, The New Republic, 2 July 2018
Benjamin Kunkel, The New Republic, 2 July 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shamefaced
Adjective
-
Merriweather’s office has dismissed about 106 homicide charges since 2020 — not including charges in which a defendant died, pleaded guilty, or wasn’t mentally competent to stand trial.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Apr. 2026
-
On Tuesday, just before evidence presentation began in the trial, Horner pleaded guilty to capital murder in the course of kidnapping.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Maybe the mere fact of having been born illustrious, with no apparent faults, with nothing to prove or to be ashamed of, had liberated John from the resentments the rest of us feel, and from the cunning and ambition such resentments fuel.—
Jeffrey Eugenides,
New Yorker,
4 Apr. 2026
-
This is a terrible blow against reform and the Dems should be ashamed.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shamefaced.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shamefaced. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
