Meaning of "shame" in the English dictionary

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD SHAME

Old English scamu; related to Old Norse skömm, Old High German skama.

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

PRONUNCIATION OF SHAME

shame  [ʃeɪm]

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF SHAME

Shame is a verb and can also act as a noun and an exclamation.

A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb shame in English.

Exclamation is an expression or voice that reflects an emotion or exaltation.

WHAT DOES SHAME MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Shame

Shame is, variously, an affect, emotion, cognition, state, or condition. The roots of the word shame are thought to derive from an older word meaning "to cover"; as such, covering oneself, literally or figuratively, is a natural expression of shame. Nineteenth century scientist Charles Darwin, in his book The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals, described shame affect as consisting of blushing, confusion of mind, downward cast eyes, slack posture, and lowered head, and he noted observations of shame affect in human populations worldwide. He also noted the sense of warmth or heat occurring in intense shame. A "sense of shame" is the consciousness or awareness of shame as a state or condition. Such shame cognition may occur as a result of the experience of shame affect or, more generally, in any situation of embarrassment, dishonor, disgrace, inadequacy, humiliation, or chagrin. A condition or state of shame may also be assigned externally, by others, regardless of one's own experience or awareness. "To shame" generally means to actively assign or communicate a state of shame to another.

Definition of shame in the English dictionary

The first definition of shame in the dictionary is a painful emotion resulting from an awareness of having done something dishonourable, unworthy, degrading, etc. Other definition of shame is capacity to feel such an emotion. Shame is also ignominy or disgrace.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO SHAME

PRESENT

Present

I shame

you shame

he/she/it shames

we shame

you shame

they shame

Present continuous

I am shaming

you are shaming

he/she/it is shaming

we are shaming

you are shaming

they are shaming

Present perfect

I have shamed

you have shamed

he/she/it has shamed

we have shamed

you have shamed

they have shamed

Present perfect continuous

I have been shaming

you have been shaming

he/she/it has been shaming

we have been shaming

you have been shaming

they have been shaming

Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past

I shamed

you shamed

he/she/it shamed

we shamed

you shamed

they shamed

Past continuous

I was shaming

you were shaming

he/she/it was shaming

we were shaming

you were shaming

they were shaming

Past perfect

I had shamed

you had shamed

he/she/it had shamed

we had shamed

you had shamed

they had shamed

Past perfect continuous

I had been shaming

you had been shaming

he/she/it had been shaming

we had been shaming

you had been shaming

they had been shaming

Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future

I will shame

you will shame

he/she/it will shame

we will shame

you will shame

they will shame

Future continuous

I will be shaming

you will be shaming

he/she/it will be shaming

we will be shaming

you will be shaming

they will be shaming

Future perfect

I will have shamed

you will have shamed

he/she/it will have shamed

we will have shamed

you will have shamed

they will have shamed

Future perfect continuous

I will have been shaming

you will have been shaming

he/she/it will have been shaming

we will have been shaming

you will have been shaming

they will have been shaming

The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional

I would shame

you would shame

he/she/it would shame

we would shame

you would shame

they would shame

Conditional continuous

I would be shaming

you would be shaming

he/she/it would be shaming

we would be shaming

you would be shaming

they would be shaming

Conditional perfect

I would have shame

you would have shame

he/she/it would have shame

we would have shame

you would have shame

they would have shame

Conditional perfect continuous

I would have been shaming

you would have been shaming

he/she/it would have been shaming

we would have been shaming

you would have been shaming

they would have been shaming

Conditional or "future-in-the-past" tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative

you shame
we let´s shame
you shame

The imperative is used to form commands or requests.

NONFINITE VERB FORMS

Infinitive

to shame

Past participle

shamed

Present Participle

shaming

Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

SYNONYMS OF «SHAME»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «shame» and belong to the same grammatical category.

synonyms of shame

abash · abashment · blacken · blot · chagrin · compunction · contempt · debase · defile · degradation · degrade · derision · discomfiture · disconcert · discredit · disgrace · dishonour · disrepute · embarrass · embarrassment · humble · humiliate · humiliation · ignominy · infamy · mortification · mortify · obloquy · odium · opprobrium · pity · reproach · scandal · shamefacedness · smear · stain · tarnish

TRANSLATION OF SHAME

Find out the translation of shame to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of shame from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «shame» in English.

• Translator English - Chinese: 羞耻
• Translator English - Spanish: vergüenza
• English: shame
• Translator English - Hindi: शर्म की बात है
• Translator English - Arabic: عار
• Translator English - Russian: стыд
• Translator English - Portuguese: vergonha
• Translator English - Bengali: লজ্জা
• Translator English - French: honte
• Translator English - Malay: Malu
• Translator English - German: Schamgefühl
• Translator English - Japanese: 恥ずかしい思い
• Translator English - Korean: 수치심
• Translator English - Javanese: Malu
• Translator English - Vietnamese: sự xấu hổ
• Translator English - Tamil: அவமானம்
• Translator English - Marathi: लाज
• Translator English - Turkish: utanç
• Translator English - Italian: vergogna
• Translator English - Polish: wstyd
• Translator English - Ukrainian: сором
• Translator English - Romanian: rușine
• Translator English - Greek: ντροπή
• Translator English - Afrikaans: skande
• Translator English - Swedish: skam
• Translator English - Norwegian: skam

10 QUOTES WITH «SHAME»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word shame.

1

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

What is a shame is that there isn't stuff that is as great as 'Oz' on a consistent level around today.

2

Marc Almond

It's a shame in a way that people come and go with one album.

3

Anacharsis

The first draught serveth for health, the second for pleasure, the third for shame, and the fourth for madness.

4

Julianna Baggott

Don't shame the young for releasing their pent-up fear.

5

Saint Bernard

Who is there that can adequately gauge the greatness of the humility, gentleness, self-surrender, revealed by the Lord of majesty in assuming human nature, in accepting the punishment of death, the shame of the cross?

6

Ugo Betti

If we have anything kind to say, any tender sentiment to express, we feel a sense of shame.

7

Jason Blum

I read an interview where someone said, 'It's a shame that anyone can make a movie now,' and I feel the exact opposite.

8

Mehcad Brooks

When I jump into something, I really do it to the fullest extent that my time and energy will allow me. I'm from Texas, and to see so many people that are obese and with disorders that are preventable. They haven't been shown or told. I'm really passionate about making sure my fellow countrymen are healthy. It's a shame.

9

Terry Brooks

After all, you put a lot into creating a universe and everything that goes with it, and it seems a shame to use it only once.

10

Wesley Clark

I think we're at risk with our democracy. I think we're dealing with the most closed, imperialistic, nastiest administration in living memory. They even put Richard Nixon to shame.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «SHAME»

Discover the use of shame in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to shame and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

Healing the Shame that Binds You: Recovery Classics Edition

Shame is the motivator behind many toxic behaviors like compulsion, codependency, addiction, and drive to superachieve. This title identifies personal shame, explains the underlying reasons, and addresses root causes.

John Bradshaw, 2005

Shame: The Exposed Self

In this paperback edition, Michael Lewis adds a compelling new chapter on stigma in which he details the process in which stigmatization produces shame.

Michael Lewis, 1995

Shame

As captivating fairy-tale, devastating political satire and exquisite, uproarious entertainment, Shame is a novel without rival.

Salman Rushdie, 2011

Fat Shame: Stigma and the Fat Body in American Culture

A look at how fatness became a cultural stigma in the United States.

Amy Erdman Farrell, 2011

Daughters of Shame

DAUGHTERS OF SHAME reveals the stories of young women such as Shazia, kidnapped and taken to Pakistan to marry a man she had never met; and Banaz, murdered by her own family after escaping an abusive marriage.

Jasvinder Sanghera, 2009

Shame: Theory, Therapy, Theology

This book, first published in 2000, aims to understand the nature of shame as it relates to Christian thought and practice.

Stephen Pattison, 2000

Shame

Shame is the heart-rending true story of a young girl's attempt to escape from a cruel, claustrophobic world where family honour mattered more than anything – sometimes more than life itself.

Jasvinder Sanghera, 2007

Crime, Shame and Reintegration

This book, a contribution to general criminological theory, suggests that the key to why some societies have higher crime rates than others lies in the way different cultures go about the social process of shaming wrongdoers.

John Braithwaite, 1989

Zane's Shame on It All: A Novel

For anyone who has ever observed the behavior of a close friend or family member and suppressed the urge to scream "Shame on you!" out loud, Shame on It All is the novel for you. Harmony, Bryce, and Lucinda (a.k.a.

Zane, 2003

Shame and Guilt

This volume reports on the growing body of knowledge on shame and guilt, integrating findings from the authors' original research program with other data emerging from social, clinical, personality, and developmental psychology.

June Price Tangney, Ronda L. Dearing, 2003

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «SHAME»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term shame is used in the context of the following news items.

Tomic gets 'Hall of Shame' apology

Bernard Tomic gets 'Hall of Shame' apology from Tennis Australia ... (TA) has apologised for saying Bernard Tomic was playing in a 'Hall of Shame' match. «BBC Sport, Jul 15»

Jeb's medieval politics of shame: Upholding a long tradition of …

In a 1995 book, Bush called for the “restoration of shame.” He blamed out-of-wedlock births on a lack of ridicule for “irresponsible conduct.” Once upon a time, ... «Salon, Jun 15»

The True History Behind Cersei's Game of Thrones Walk of Shame

Contains spoilers for the season five finale of Game of Thrones. When Game of Thrones has Cersei Lannister take a naked walk of penance after her ... «TIME, Jun 15»

Portia de Rossi on Bulimia: 'You're Still Left With the Shame'

Between the stress of her burgeoning acting career and the shame she carried about being a closeted lesbian at the time, her eating disorder was one of the few ... «Health.com, May 15»

Liam Byrne admits being 'burnt with shame' at 'no money' letter

Liam Byrne, the Labour MP who wrote the infamous “there is no money” letter, has revealed he “burnt with shame” every day for the last four years in a ... «Telegraph.co.uk, May 15»

Clarke Carlisle: 'No shame' over December suicide bid

Former defender Clarke Carlisle has said he feels "no shame" about his recent suicide attempt. Carlisle, who played for Burnley and QPR, tried to take his own ... «BBC Sport, Mar 15»

How many Lewinskys will we shame?

She became the “patient zero” of public humiliation, she told a Vancouver audience last week in a TED2015 speech titled The Price Of Shame. «The Globe and Mail, Mar 15»

Monica Lewinsky: 'Shame is an industry and the currency is clicks'

Activist Monica Lewinsky champions a movement of compassion in the fight against cyberbulling, at the TED Vancouver conference on Thursday, March 19. «Mashable, Mar 15»

India's Modi: 'We Hang Our Heads in Shame'

At a time when women's rights and men's attitudes toward rape have returned to the forefront of public debate in India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on ... «Wall Street Journal, Mar 15»

New Girl: “Walk Of Shame”

Sitcoms and second chances go hand in hand. So many of the greats begin with characters beginning again: Mary Richards moves to Minneapolis and secures ... «A.V. Club Milwaukee, Mar 15»