Library / English Dictionary

ABASH

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Cause to be embarrassed; cause to feel self-conscious

Synonyms:

abash; embarrass

Classified under:

Verbs of feeling

Hypernyms (to "abash" is one way to...):

discomfit; discompose; disconcert; untune; upset (cause to lose one's composure)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "abash"):

confuse; disconcert; flurry; put off (cause to feel embarrassment)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody

Sentence examples:

The bad news will abash him

The good news will abash her

Derivation:

abashment (feeling embarrassed due to modesty)

Credits

 Context examples: 

I was quite abashed by the man’s flowery way of talking—so unlike anything which I had ever heard.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

She wished Beth could hear him, but she did not say so, only praised him till he was quite abashed, and his grandfather came to his rescue.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

“Yes, to be sure. Yes. Trotwood Copperfield,” said Mr. Dick, a little abashed.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Jo unfolded it, and looked much abashed, for it was one of her own contributions to a paper that paid for poetry, which accounted for her sending it an occasional attempt.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

“My dear Jane,” faltered my mother, a little abashed by the harsh tone of this inquiry, “I find that the baby's eyes and Davy's are exactly alike.”

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Amy came in hastily, and looked rather abashed when she saw her sisters all waiting for her.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

I dare say they would have said much more about her, if they had not been abashed by the unexpected coming in of Steerforth, who, seeing me in a corner speaking with two strangers, stopped in a song he was singing, and said: I didn't know you were here, young Copperfield! (for it was not the usual visiting room) and crossed by us on his way out.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Now, Jo did not like to leave it, for Mr. Dashwood didn't suit her at all, but, under the circumstances, there was nothing for her to do but bow and walk away, looking particularly tall and dignified, as she was apt to do when nettled or abashed.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

It seemed to me a bold thing even to take notice that the passage looked comfortable, as I went on my way, trembling, to Mr. Creakle's presence: which so abashed me, when I was ushered into it, that I hardly saw Mrs. Creakle or Miss Creakle (who were both there, in the parlour), or anything but Mr. Creakle, a stout gentleman with a bunch of watch-chain and seals, in an arm-chair, with a tumbler and bottle beside him.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Mr. Heep was rather abashed, as most people might have been, by this explosion; which derived great additional force from the indignant manner in which my aunt afterwards moved in her chair, and shook her head as if she were making snaps or bounces at him.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)