forshame means to be ashamed; be greatly ashamed. It carries an Arena rating of 1608, earned across 5 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, forshame ranks #4,079 of 17,163 for Funniest Words, #4,198 of 17,140 for Most Whimsical Words, #4,575 of 17,131 for Scariest Words, #5,359 of 17,132 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound.
Why “forshame” is a great word
To cause a profound sense of moral disgrace or reproach; or, in regional English, to have the audacity to do something. It is from Old English forscamian, built from the intensive prefix for- and shame, carrying its heavy freight of disgrace from the very beginnings of the language. Unlike 'embarrass,' which suggests a fluster of social discomfort, or 'presume,' which generally denotes overconfidence, to forshame someone is to stain their conscience, and to forshame to do a thing is to highlight the act's brazenness. It is the hot, silent dread that floods a child caught in a cruel lie, the community's collective aversion of eyes from a disgraced elder, or the stunned whisper, 'How could you forshame to show your face here?'—a word that measures the distance between simple error and a fracture in one's standing in the world.
Etymology
From Middle English forshamen, from Old English forscamian (“to make ashamed, be ashamed, be modest”); equivalent to for- + shame.
verb
- To be ashamed; be greatly ashamed.
- To shame; bring reproach on.
- To dare; presume; have the face to.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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