Shame vs Sham - What's the difference?

As nouns the difference between shame and sham

is that shame is uncomfortable or painful feeling due to recognition or consciousness of impropriety, dishonor, or other wrong in the opinion of the person experiencing the feeling. It is caused by awareness of exposure of circumstances of unworthiness or of improper or indecent conduct while sham is a fake; an imitation that purports to be genuine.

As verbs the difference between shame and sham

is that shame is to feel shame, be ashamed while sham is to deceive, cheat, lie.

As an interjection shame

is a cry of admonition for the subject of a speech, often used reduplicated, especially in political debates.

As an adjective sham is

intended to deceive; false.

shame

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl), from (etyl) , which may also be the source of heaven; see that entry for details. Compare also Persian .

Noun

(-)

Uncomfortable]] or painful feeling due to recognition or consciousness of impropriety, dishonor or other wrong in the opinion of the person experiencing the feeling. It is caused by awareness of exposure of circumstances of [[unworthy, unworthiness or of improper or indecent conduct.

* (William Shakespeare)

Have you no modesty, no maiden shame ?

, title=(The Celebrity), chapter=5 , passage=When this conversation was repeated in detail within the hearing of the young woman in question, and undoubtedly for his benefit, Mr. Trevor threw shame to the winds and scandalized the Misses Brewster then and there by proclaiming his father to have been a country storekeeper.}}

Something to regret.

* (William Shakespeare)

guides who are the shame of religion

* Evelyn "Champagne" King, in the song Shame

And what you do to me is a shame .

Reproach incurred or suffered; dishonour; ignominy; derision.

* Bible, (Ezekiel) xxxvi. 6

Ye have borne the shame of the heathen.

* (Alexander Pope)

Honour and shame from no condition rise.

* (Lord Byron)

And every woe a tear can claim / Except an erring sister's shame .

The cause or reason of shame; that which brings reproach and ignominy.

* Shakespeare

guides who are the shame of religion

(archaic) That which is shameful and private, especially body parts.

Cover your shame !

Usage notes

* While shame is not generally counted, it is countable, for example *: I felt two shames: one for hurting my friend, and a greater one for lying about it.

Synonyms

* (something regrettable) pity

Derived terms

* body shame * crying shame * shame on you * shamefaced * shameful * shamefully * shameless * shamelessly

Interjection

(en interjection)

A cry of admonition for the subject of a speech, often used reduplicated, especially in political debates.

* 1982 , " Telecommunications Bill", Hansard

Mr John Golding: One would not realise that it came from the same Government, because in that letter the Under-Secretary states: "The future of BT's pension scheme is a commercial matter between BT, its workforce, and the trustees of the pensions scheme, and the Government cannot give any guarantees about future pension arrangements."

Mr. Charles R. Morris': ' Shame .

* 1831 , The Bristol Job Nott; or, Labouring Man's Friend

[...] the Duke of Dorset charged in the list with "not known, but supposed forty thousand per year''" (charitable supposition) had when formerly in office only about 3 or £4,000, and ''has not now, nor when the black list was printed, any office whatever -- (Much tumult, and cries of "shame " and "doust the liars")

(South Africa) Expressing sympathy.

Shame , you poor thing, you must be cold!

Derived terms

Etymology 2

From (etyl) scamian.

Verb

(sham)

To feel shame, be ashamed.

*:Broder she said I can not telle yow For it was not done by me nor by myn assente / For he is my lord and I am his / and he must be myn husband / therfore my broder I wille that ye wete I shame me not to be with hym / nor to doo hym alle the pleasyr that I can

*(William Shakespeare) (c.1564–1616)

*:I do shame / To think of what a noble strain you are.

(label) To cause to feel shame.

:I was shamed by the teacher's public disapproval.

*(Robert South) (1634–1716)

*:Were there but one righteous in the world, he wouldshame the world, and not the world him.

To cover with reproach or ignominy; to dishonour; to disgrace.

*(Edmund Spenser) (c.1552–1599)

*:And with foul cowardice his carcass shame .

(label) To mock at; to deride.

*:Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the LORD is his refuge.

Derived terms

* ashamed

References

Anagrams

sham

English

Adjective

(en adjective)

Intended to deceive; false.

It was only a sham wedding: they didn't care much for one another but wanted their parents to stop hassling them.

counterfeit; unreal

* Jowett

They scorned the sham independence proffered to them by the Athenians.

Synonyms

* mock * See also

Antonyms

* genuine * sincere * real

Noun

(en noun)

A fake; an imitation that purports to be genuine.

The time-share deal was a sham .

Trickery, hoaxing.

A con-man must be skilled in the arts of sham and deceit.

A false front, or removable ornamental covering.

A decorative cover for a pillow.

Derived terms

* shamateur

Verb

(shamm)

To deceive, cheat, lie.

* L'Estrange

Fooled and shammed into a conviction.

To obtrude by fraud or imposition.

* L'Estrange

We must have a care that we do not sham fallacies upon the world for current reason.

To assume the manner and character of; to imitate; to ape; to feign.

External links

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Anagrams

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