Ashamedness

/əˈʃeɪmdnəs/ noun

Definition

The quality or state of feeling ashamed; a sense of embarrassment or humiliation about something you've done or experienced.

Etymology

From ashamed (past tense of the obsolete verb 'asham,' meaning to shame) plus the suffix -ness. The word evolved from Old English 'scamian' through Middle English to describe the emotional state of feeling shame.

Kelly Says

What's wild is that 'ashamedness' is extremely rare in modern English—we usually just say 'shame' or 'embarrassment.' This shows how languages naturally trim down redundant words over time.

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