What does abashedly mean?
Abashedly is the adverbial form of "abashed," meaning embarrassed or disconcerted. To do something abashedly is to do it while visibly uncomfortable about one's own behavior — often after being caught in a mistake, a small deception, or an awkward situation. A person might admit a fault abashedly, smile abashedly when teased, or shuffle away abashedly after an error. The word conveys a mild, almost charming form of embarrassment: it suggests self-consciousness and a touch of shame rather than deep humiliation, which makes it a favorite of novelists depicting characters caught off guard. Its emotional opposite is captured by "unabashedly," meaning openly and without any shame at all. Though not part of casual everyday speech, abashedly is precise, expressive, and widely understood, offering writers a compact way to signal that a character knows they have behaved badly and feels appropriately contrite about it.
adverbIn a manner showing embarrassment, shame, or discomposure; with a self-conscious or sheepish air.
- With embarrassment, shame, or a sheepish sense of having done something wrong or foolish.
""I'm afraid I forgot your birthday again," she admitted abashedly."
"He shuffled his feet abashedly when the teacher pointed out he hadn't read the assignment."
""You caught me," she said abashedly, hiding the empty cookie jar behind her back."
The 'a-' at the start of abash comes from an Old French verb meaning to 'strike on the face' — so when someone acts abashedly, they're literally behaving as if they've just been slapped.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of abashedly
Abashedly derives from "abash," which entered English from Old French "esbaiss-" (stem of "esbaïr"), a verb built from "baer" ("to gape") with the prefix "es-" from Latin "ex-", originally suggesting gaping open-mouthed in astonishment or being struck down. The adjective "abashed" appeared in Middle English by the late 14th century, and "abashedly" formed later as its adverb. Related forms include "abashment" (the noun) and "bashful," a shortened variant that took on its own life as a separate word for shy.
How abashedly is actually used
A mildly literary word, more common in narrative prose than everyday conversation. It carries a gentle, often endearing connotation of embarrassment rather than deep shame — the tone is closer to sheepish than mortified.
Easily confused with abashedly
Abashedly means with embarrassment or shame, while unabashedly — its direct opposite — means openly and without any embarrassment or shame.