Skip to content

Scham

shame

noun shahm Rare

Usage Note

Scham is a deep feeling of shame or humiliation. It is more serious and inward than Peinlichkeit (embarrassment). Vor Scham im Boden versinken wollen (to want to sink through the floor from shame) is a vivid idiom.

Examples

"Tiefe Scham überwältigte ihn, als er an seinen Fehler dachte."

Natural Translation

Deep shame overwhelmed him as he thought about his mistake.

Literal Translation

Deep shame overwhelmed him, when he at his mistake thought.

Free starter pack

Building your German vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common German words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Explore German by topic