shamenoun
uk/ʃeɪm/us/ʃeɪm/shame noun (BAD LUCK)
A2 [ S ] If something is described as a shame, it is disappointing or not satisfactory:
More examples
- What a shame that you couldn't go to the party.
- "I'm afraid I can't come tonight." " Oh, that's a shame."
- It's such a shame they shut that factory down.
- "Go on, finish off this tart, Paul." "Well, it seems a shame to let it go to waste."
- It seems a shame to miss such a nice occasion.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Good luck and bad luck
- a blessing in disguise idiom
- bad/hard/tough luck! idiom
- be a good idiom
- be bad luck on sb idiom
- be down on your luck idiom
- blessing
- favour
- godsend
- grace
- hapless
- happenstance
- happily
- lap
- misadventure
- mischance
- misfortune
- mishap
- mixed blessing
- streak
- stroke
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shame noun (BAD FEELING)
C1 [ U ] an uncomfortable feeling of guilt or of being ashamed because of your own or someone else's bad behaviour:
[ U ] loss of honour and respect:
UK to make someone feel ashamed:
I feel ashamed because:
used to tell someone that they should feel sorry for something they did:
More examples
- He knew he'd done something wrong and hung his head in shame.
- He went scarlet with shame and embarrassment.
- Her face burned with shame.
- The shame of losing a game of tennis to my mother!
- I couldn't treat anyone so badly - I couldn't bear the shame.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Sadness and regret
- a heavy heart idiom
- be/weigh on your conscience idiom
- bitter
- bring a lump to/have a lump in your throat idiom
- broken-hearted
- gloom
- gloomy
- guilt
- guilt complex
- guilt trip
- guilt-ridden
- guilt trip
- lament
- mourn
- repent
- rue
- rue the day idiom
- rueful
- sackcloth
- sad
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
shame noun (COMPARE WELL)
to make someone or something seem not good by comparison:
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Comparing and contrasting
- against
- analogy
- antithesis
- as against idiom
- balance
- balance sth against sth
- benchmark
- compare
- comparison
- competitive
- contrast
- contrastive
- gold standard
- perspective
- relative
- relatively
- set
- simile
- stack up
- vis-à-vis
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Idiom(s)
shameverb [ T ]
uk/ʃeɪm/us/ʃeɪm/shame verb [ T ] (BAD FEELING)
to make someone feel ashamed, or to make someone or something lose honour and respect:
to publicly criticize and draw attention to something someone has done, especially on the internet:
to cause someone to do or not to do something by making them feel ashamed:
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Humiliating and degrading
- abase
- be under a cloud idiom
- bring/take sb down a peg (or two) idiom
- bruise
- bruise sb's ego idiom
- cut sb down to size idiom
- deflate
- degrade
- dishonour
- doghouse
- exhibition
- fall from grace idiom
- forget
- in the doghouse idiom
- indignity
- knock
- knock sb off their pedestal idiom 1
- knock sb off their pedestal
- peg
- stoop to sth
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shame verb [ T ] (COMPARE WELL)
to be so much better than something else that the other thing seems of a low standard by comparison:
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Surpassing in quality or number
- beat
- catch
- catch up
- compare
- crown
- eclipse
- exceed
- go one better idiom
- leave sb standing idiom
- north
- outperform
- outran
- outsell
- outshine
- outstrip
- tower
- tower above/over sth
- transcend
- upstage
- writ large idiom
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shameexclamation
uk/ʃeɪm/us/ʃeɪm/mainly UKused to express disapproval of something that a public speaker is saying:
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Linguistics: interjections
- (well) what do you know! idiom
- aiyo
- alas
- aw shucks
- awesomesauce
- bam
- bless
- boo
- charming
- good show idiom
- goodness
- heck
- hot dog! idiom
- same to you idiom
- talk
- use your loaf idiom
- voilà
- wake up! idiom
- what an idea! idiom
- yes
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