as in to embarrass
to throw into a state of self-conscious distress
felt terribly abashed when she walked into the wrong hotel room
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of abash
Here, furious parents throw open the cupboard to reveal their daughter’s abashed lover, as younger children look on wide-eyed and the family dog prepares to attack.
—
Susan Delson, WSJ, 20 June 2018
Bloom called him out, and the abashed Harris apologized.
—Christina Schoellkopf, latimes.com, 15 June 2018
Not easily abashed by body-shamers, Teigen has publicly posted next-to-naked topless photos in the past.
—Megan Decker, Harper's BAZAAR, 22 May 2018
Hefner was good-natured but rather abashed, diffident, and shy.
—Jeanie Pyun, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Oct. 2017
Peverelli seemed slightly abashed at the images’ potential elevation from commerce to art.
—Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 22 May 2017
But there is also a sort of confused, abashed one, often ironic, that acknowledges a problem and tries to work through a particularly American obliviousness.
—Jill McDonough, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2017
Susan Delson, WSJ, 20 June 2018
Bloom called him out, and the abashed Harris apologized.
—Christina Schoellkopf, latimes.com, 15 June 2018
Not easily abashed by body-shamers, Teigen has publicly posted next-to-naked topless photos in the past.
—Megan Decker, Harper's BAZAAR, 22 May 2018
Hefner was good-natured but rather abashed, diffident, and shy.
—Jeanie Pyun, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Oct. 2017
Peverelli seemed slightly abashed at the images’ potential elevation from commerce to art.
—Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 22 May 2017
But there is also a sort of confused, abashed one, often ironic, that acknowledges a problem and tries to work through a particularly American obliviousness.
—Jill McDonough, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abash
Verb
-
O’Neil had shown a more ruthless streak in dealing with Lemina, stripping the midfielder of the captaincy after those embarrassing post-match scenes at West Ham.—
Steve Madeley,
New York Times,
21 Apr. 2025
-
Punk proceeded to beatdown and embarrass McIntyre, leading to Priest cashing in his Money in the Bank contract and winning the title from McIntyre.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
15 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
And when the series takes an occasional serious turn, you'll just be confused.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
2 May 2025
-
However, simply getting older doesn’t equate to consistently missing bills or appointments, having a hard time speaking with people, or feeling lost or confused in places that are familiar to you.—
Alisa Hrustic,
SELF,
1 May 2025
Verb
-
Midway through Donald Trump‘s 100-day interview with ABC’s Terry Moran, the president got flustered.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
29 Apr. 2025
-
Zmuda flustered Kaufman, throwing him off his rhythm, leading to more awkward silence and melancholy.—
Jason Zinoman,
New York Times,
28 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Fans of Carlos Santana were left disconcerted Tuesday night after the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer was rushed to the hospital and forced to cancel his April 22 show.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
24 Apr. 2025
-
In the bond market, Treasury yields continued to ease following their disconcerting run higher earlier this month.—
Stan Choe,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Trump's tariffs have also rattled consumers, who are increasingly gloomy about the economic outlook.—
Scott Horsley,
NPR,
2 May 2025
-
Victor Boniface, who has rattled in the goals since joining Bundesliga high-flyer Bayer Leverkusen, grew his profile in Bodø.—
Henry Flynn,
Forbes.com,
1 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abash.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abash. Accessed 6 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share