Word of the day: Abash (verb)
Possible Meanings:
- To make someone feel embarrassed or self-conscious
- To cause someone to lose their confidence
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Example Sentences:
- The teacher’s stern look abashed the students who had been talking out of turn. (Explanation: Abash is used here because the teacher’s disapproval likely made the students feel embarrassed and self-conscious about their behavior.)
- John abashed when he realized he was wearing mismatched socks. (Explanation: Abash is a good choice in this sentence because John’s realization caused him to feel a bit silly and self-conscious about his appearance.)
- The loud criticism completely abashed the young performer on stage. (Explanation: Here, abash is used because the harsh criticism likely caused the performer to lose their confidence and feel embarrassed in front of the audience.)
- She didn’t mean to abash him, just to offer a friendly suggestion. (Explanation: Abash is used to show that even though her intention wasn’t to embarrass him, her words might have had that effect unintentionally.)
- I felt slightly abashed when I tripped in front of everyone. (Explanation: Abash is used here because tripping in front of people can make you feel embarrassed and self-conscious about the clumsy moment.)
Conversation Example:
Person 1: “Did you see Sarah trip and fall in the hallway?”
Person 2: “Oh yeah, poor thing! I bet she’s feeling really abashed right now.”
Can you use abash in a sentence of your own? Share your example in the comments below.