Ashamed

How to spell ashamed

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce ashamed

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does ashamed mean?

1. adjectiveFeeling guilt, embarrassment, or distress about something one has done or about oneself.

Ashamed in a sentence

• He felt ashamed of the way he had spoken to his colleague.

• She was deeply ashamed that she had forgotten the appointment.

Where does ashamed come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word comes from the Old English ascamian, a verb meaning 'to feel shame', built on the noun scamu, which simply meant 'shame' or 'a sense of disgrace'. The prefix a- here is an old intensive that survives in a handful of other adjectives like 'awake' and 'aware', and it strengthened rather than negated the root. By Middle English the past participle ashamed had hardened into the adjective we still use, describing the feeling of guilt or embarrassment over one's conduct. The native Germanic root scamu also lies behind the plain word 'shame' itself, so the two are direct relatives. The single 'm' is the spelling trap: writers sometimes expect a doubled consonant, but the word keeps just one, matching 'shame'.

How the word is built

• a- (intensive prefix from Old English of-)
• sham (from scamu: shame)
• -ed (adjective suffix)