ashamed

UK /əˈʃeɪmd/ US /əˈʃeɪmd/ Syllables: a-shamed

Pronunciation

Adjective A1 Beginner Neutral

Feeling embarrassed or guilty about something you did.

Ashamed describes the feeling of being embarrassed or guilty about something you did, or about something that is not right. You may be ashamed of a lie, ashamed of your bad behavior or ashamed that you forgot an important date. The feeling can be strong, and it often makes a person want to hide. You use it after the verb be, as in I am ashamed. You can also use it with of and a thing or a person: she is ashamed of her mistake. The noun is shame.

"He felt ashamed after snapping at his little sister for no reason."

Example sentences

"He was ashamed of the lie he told his teacher."

Level B1
"You should not be ashamed to ask for help."

Level B1
"She felt ashamed when she saw the mess she had made."

Level B1
"I am ashamed that I forgot your birthday."

Level B1

Synonyms and antonyms

Synonyms

embarrassed guilty

Antonyms

proud

Look-alikes and common mistakes

embarrassed : Embarrassed is milder and can be about small things, such as tripping. Ashamed is deeper and is about doing wrong.
guilty : Guilty means you did wrong. Ashamed describes how you feel about it.

Word family and forms

shame shameful shameless unashamed

Word partners

Words and phrases that often go with "ashamed".

ashamed of
feel ashamed
deeply ashamed
ashamed to say
ashamed of yourself
not ashamed

Origin

Ashamed comes from Old English ascamod, the past participle of ascamian, to be ashamed. It is built from the prefix a- and the word shame. It was in English before the year 1000.

Checked against: Wiktionary, the free dictionary, Dictionary.com.

Usage notes

Usually followed by "of", as in "ashamed of what I said".

How to remember it

Ashamed has shame inside: a plus shamed. When you are ashamed, you feel shame.

Test yourself

Which word fits the gap? "He was _____ of the lie he told his teacher."

Answer: ashamed

In your own words, what does "ashamed" mean?