The New York Stock Exchange started out as a coffee house.
abashed, chagrined, embarrassed
(adjective) feeling or caused to feel ill at ease or self-conscious or ashamed; “felt abashed at the extravagant praise”; “chagrined at the poor sales of his book”; “was embarrassed by her child’s tantrums”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
abashed (comparative more abashed, superlative most abashed)
Embarrassed, disconcerted, or ashamed.
abashed
simple past tense and past participle of abash
• embarrassed
• ashamed
• shamefaced
• mortified
• humiliated
• taken aback
• disconcerted
• nonplussed
• discomfited
• discomposed
• perturbed
• confounded
• dismayed
• dumbfounded
• confused
• put out of countenance
• discountenanced
Source: Wiktionary
A*bash", v.t. [imp. & p.p. Abashed; p.pr. & vb. n. Abashing.] Etym: [OE. abaissen, abaisshen, abashen, OF.esbahir, F. ébahir, to astonish, fr. L. ex + the interjection bah, expressing astonishment. In OE. somewhat confused with abase. Cf. Finish.]
Definition: 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.
– 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 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.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
29 May 2025
(adjective) characterized by careful evaluation and judgment; “a critical reading”; “a critical dissertation”; “a critical analysis of Melville’s writings”
The New York Stock Exchange started out as a coffee house.