abashment means the state of feeling abashed; embarrassment from shame; timid shyness as from one's modesty being challenged. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 85 out of 100.
abashment is pronounced /əˈbæʃ.mənt/.
Why “abashment” is a great word
A state of being suddenly thrown into self-conscious discomposure, the flustered silence that follows a loss of confidence. From Middle English abaisshment, from Middle French abaissement ("astonishment"), an alteration of esbaissement, from esbaiss- (stem of esbair, "to astonish") + the noun-forming suffix -ment. Unlike "embarrassment," which blankets a broader social discomfort, or "shame," which carries the cold weight of guilt, abashment is the specific, startled puncture of one’s assuredness. It is the caught breath when a prepared argument crumbles, the hot flush from an unanticipated public compliment, or the profound silence after a grand pronouncement meets a single, clarifying question—a fleeting reminder of the gulf between our pretensions and our grasp.
Etymology
From Middle English abaisshment, from Middle French abaissement (“astonishment”) alteration of esbaissement, from esbaiss + -ment. Compare French ébahissement. Equivalent to abash + -ment.
noun
- The state of feeling abashed; embarrassment from shame; timid shyness as from one's modesty being challenged.“And the lorde shall smyte the with madnesse, and blyndnesse & abashment of herte.”
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