Adjacent Words

Abash definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

ABASH', v.t. [Heb. and Ch. bosh, to be confounded, or ashamed.]
To make the spirits to fall; to cast down the countenance; to make ashamed; to confuse or confound, as by exciting suddenly a consciousness of guilt, error, inferiority, _e.
They heard and were abashed.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: cause to be embarrassed; cause to feel self-conscious [syn: embarrass, abash]

Merriam Webster's

transitive verb Etymology: Middle English abaishen, from Anglo-French abaiss-, abair to astonish, alteration of esbair, from ex- + baer to open wide, gape — more at abeyance Date: 14th century to destroy the self-possession or self-confidence of ; disconcert Synonyms: see embarrass • abashment noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.tr. (usu. as abashed adj.) embarrass, disconcert. Derivatives: abashment n. Etymology: ME f. OF esba{iuml}r (es- = A-(4) 3, ba{iuml}r astound or baer yawn)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Abash A*bash" ([.a]*b[a^]sh"), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Abashed ([.a]*b[a^]sht"); p. pr. & vb. n. Abashing.] [OE. abaissen, abaisshen, abashen, OF. esbahir, F. ['e]bahir, to astonish, fr. L. ex + the interjection bah, expressing astonishment. In OE. somewhat confused with abase. Cf. Finish.] To destroy the self-possession of; to confuse or confound, as by exciting suddenly a consciousness of guilt, mistake, or inferiority; to put to shame; to disconcert; to discomfit. Abashed, the devil stood, And felt how awful goodness is. --Milton. He was a man whom no check could abash. --Macaulay. Syn: To confuse; confound; disconcert; shame. Usage: To Abash, Confuse, Confound. Abash is a stronger word than confuse, but not so strong as confound. We are abashed when struck either with sudden shame or with a humbling sense of inferiority; as, Peter was abashed by the look of his Master. So a modest youth is abashed in the presence of those who are greatly his superiors. We are confused when, from some unexpected or startling occurrence, we lose clearness of thought and self-possession. Thus, a witness is often confused by a severe cross-examination; a timid person is apt to be confused in entering a room full of strangers. We are confounded when our minds are overwhelmed, as it were, by something wholly unexpected, amazing, dreadful, etc., so that we have nothing to say. Thus, a criminal is usually confounded at the discovery of his guilt. Satan stood Awhile as mute, confounded what to say. --Milton.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. Shame, mortify, confuse, confound, disconcert, discompose, cow, humiliate, humble, snub, put to shame, make ashamed, put down, put out of countenance, take down, send away with a flea in one's ear. See discountenance.

Moby Thesaurus

abase, appall, astound, bewilder, bother, bring down, bring low, cast down, chagrin, confound, confuse, crush, debase, degrade, demean, diminish, discomfit, discompose, disconcert, discountenance, dismay, disturb, dump, dump on, embarrass, faze, flummox, humble, humiliate, lower, moider, mortify, perturb, pother, put down, put out, rattle, reduce, set down, take aback, take down, throw into confusion, trip up, upset