Definition

Noun: 1. The quality or state of being shameful; unworthiness meriting public disgrace and dishonor. It refers to a condition or behavior that is so morally wrong or disgraceful that it deserves public condemnation.

Usage and Examples

• Noun:
  • The shamefulness of the corruption scandal shocked the nation.
  • He could not comprehend the shamefulness of his own actions until it was too late.
  • Historians often debate the shamefulness of that particular wartime policy.

Advanced Usage

• "The sheer shamefulness of it": A phrase used to emphasize the extreme and shocking nature of a disgraceful act.
  • The sheer shamefulness of the betrayal left the community in silence.

Variants and Related Words

• Shameful (adj): Deserving or causing shame; disgraceful.
  • It was a shameful act of cowardice.
• Shame (n): A painful feeling of humiliation or distress caused by the consciousness of wrong or foolish behavior.
  • Her face was filled with shame.

Synonyms

• Disgracefulness: The state of being deserving of shame or loss of respect.
• Ignominy: Public shame or disgrace.
• Infamy: The state of being well known for some bad quality or deed.

Antonyms

• Honorableness: The quality of deserving honor and respect.
• Decency: Behavior that conforms to accepted standards of morality or respectability.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• "A badge of shamefulness": Something that serves as a visible mark of disgrace.
  • The conviction became a permanent badge of shamefulness for the former official.

Noun

1. unworthiness meriting public disgrace and dishonor