unabashed

adjective

un·​abashed ˌən-ə-ˈbasht How to pronounce unabashed (audio)
: not abashed : undisguised, unapologetic
unabashedly adverb

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The Difference Between Abashed and Unabashed

To abash someone is to shake up their self-possession, as illustrated by Charlotte Brontë in her 1849 novel Shirley: "He had never blushed in his life; no humiliation could abash him." When you are unabashed you make no apologies for your behavior (nor do you attempt to hide or disguise it), but when you are abashed your confidence has been thrown off and you may feel rather inferior or ashamed of yourself. English speakers have been using abashed to describe feelings of embarrassment since the 14th century, but they have only used unabashed (brazenly or otherwise) since the 15th century (not that there’s anything wrong with that).

Examples of unabashed in a Sentence

She is an unabashed supporter of the president's policies. unabashed by their booing and hissing, he continued with his musical performance
Recent Examples on the Web The comparison with Trump, an unabashed Putin fan, won’t need to be spelled out. Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2024 But past skeptics be damned, the album has stood the test of time, with many now backpedaling their initial criticisms to revel in her unabashed outbursts of rage and ecstasy and its thematic anchor of tender love and care. Allaire Nuss, EW.com, 6 Feb. 2024 The two have cute chemistry to spare, but while many of Grant's duet partners (Sandra Bullock, Julia Roberts) can get lost in the shuffle, Barrymore's Sophie stands out due to her unabashed niceness despite her struggle to get over a previous toxic relationship (with a dastardly Campbell Scott). Gwen Ihnat, EW.com, 7 Nov. 2023 With a bombastic pop sound to accompany the lyrics’ unabashed self-assurance, Beacon stands out immediately when compared against the singer’s past work — much like its title would suggest. Stephen Daw, Billboard, 1 Feb. 2024 And yet, to hear NBC tell it, the game between the Kansas City Chief and Miami Dolphins was an unabashed success. Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Jan. 2024 Studying Taylor Swift: Mikaela Shiffrin, the champion American skier, is an unabashed Swiftie. Rory Smith, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2024 Because Santos is unabashed about his desire for attention and well-versed in pop cultural vernacular, he’s built a cult following, erasing his history of greed, almost comically compulsive mendacity, and abhorrent transphobic and anti-Semitic comments from the public imagination. Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 6 Jan. 2024 The root of that unease probably has a lot to do with watching a woman be so unabashed about her feelings. Amy Kaufman, Los Angeles Times, 4 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unabashed.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English unabaiste, from un- + abaiste, past participle of abaissen, abaishen to abash

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unabashed was in the 15th century

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Dictionary Entries Near unabashed

Cite this Entry

“Unabashed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unabashed. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

unabashed

adjective
un·​abashed ˌən-ə-ˈbasht How to pronounce unabashed (audio)
: not abashed : not embarrassed or ashamed
unabashedly adverb

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