Overcome vs Abash - What's the difference?

Overcome is a related term of abash.

As verbs the difference between overcome and abash

is that overcome is to surmount (a physical or abstract obstacle); to prevail over, to get the better of while abash is to make ashamed; to embarrass; to destroy the self-possession of, as by exciting suddenly a consciousness of guilt, mistake, or inferiority; to disconcert; to discomfit .

overcome

English

Verb

To surmount (a physical or abstract obstacle); to prevail over, to get the better of.

:to overcome enemies in battle

*Spenser

*:This wretched woman overcome / Of anguish, rather than of crime, hath been.

*1898 , , (Moonfleet), Ch.4:

*:By and by fumes of brandy began to fill the air, and climb to where I lay, overcoming the mouldy smell of decayed wood and the dampness of the green walls.

(obsolete) To win (a battle).

*:Ther with all cam kyng Arthur but with a fewe peple and slewe on the lyfte hand and on the ryght hand that wel nyhe ther escaped no man / but alle were slayne to the nombre of xxx M / And whan the bataille was all ended the kynge kneled doune and thanked god mekely / and thenne he sente for the quene and soone she was come / and she maade grete Ioye of the ouercomynge of that bataille

To win or prevail in some sort of battle, contest, etc.

, chapter=2, title= The Mirror and the Lamp , passage=That the young Mr. Churchills liked—but they did not like him coming round of an evening and drinking weak whisky-and-water while he held forth on railway debentures and corporation loans. Mr. Barrett, however, by fawning and flattery, seemed to be able to make not only Mrs. Churchill but everyone else do what he desired. And if the arts of humbleness failed him, he overcame you by sheer impudence.}}

(usually in passive) To overwhelm with emotion.

To come or pass over; to spread over.

*Shakespeare

*:And overcome us like a summer's cloud.

To overflow; to surcharge.

References

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Anagrams

* English irregular past participles English irregular verbs English past participles English verb forms using redundant wikisyntax English verbs with base form identical to past participle

abash

English

Verb

(es)

To make ashamed; to embarrass; to destroy the self-possession of, as by exciting suddenly a consciousness of guilt, mistake, or inferiority; to disconcert; to discomfit.

"He was a man whom no check could abash ." – .

(obsolete) To lose self-possession; to become ashamed.

Usage notes

* Of 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. – John Milton

Synonyms

* confuse * confound * disconcert * shame * humiliate * embarrass * See also

Antonyms

* embolden * reassure

Derived terms

* abashed * abashedly * abashedness * abashless * abashment

Anagrams

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