shameless

shameless — adjective

1. behaving in a way that other people find wrong or shocking, without feeling any

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

behaving in a way that other people find wrong or shocking, without feeling any embarrassment or guilt about it

Example

The politician's shameless lie surprised even his closest friends.

collocation: shameless lie

It was a shameless attempt to claim money that belonged to the charity.

collocation: shameless attempt

Common collocations
  • shameless lie
  • shameless attempt
  • shameless behaviour
  • shameless disregard
  • shameless promotion
  • shameless lack of
Synonyms
  • brazen

    stronger emphasis on open, bold defiance of what others think

  • blatant

    focuses on how obvious and easy to see the wrongdoing is

  • unashamed

    neutral or even positive tone; suggests confidence rather than wrongdoing

Antonyms
  • ashamed

    feeling embarrassment or guilt about something one has done

  • embarrassed

    less intense than ashamed, focusing on social awkwardness

Grammar Patterns

shameless + noun

Usage Note

Unlike unashamed, which can be neutral or even positive (unashamed pride), this sense always carries strong disapproval from the speaker's point of view.

Common Mistakes

He was shameless of his actions.
He was shameless about his actions.
the correct preposition is 'about', not 'of'.
It was a shameful lie' (when meaning the liar felt no shame).
It was a shameless lie.
'shameful' means the lie causes shame; 'shameless' means the liar feels no shame.

2. acting or dressing in a way that is clearly meant to attract sexual attention, w

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

acting or dressing in a way that is clearly meant to attract sexual attention, without any feeling of embarrassment about it

Example

Zola gave her a shameless smile from across the crowded room.

collocation: shameless smile / shameless look

The magazine was criticised for printing shameless photos of the young actress.

Common collocations
  • shameless look
  • shameless smile
  • shameless dress
  • shameless photos
  • shameless flirt
Synonyms
  • brazen

    can overlap but also covers non-sexual boldness; wider in meaning

  • provocative

    focuses on the intention to excite or arouse, not just on lack of shame

Antonyms
  • modest

    dressing or behaving in a way that avoids attracting sexual attention

  • demure

    quiet, shy, and modest in a traditionally feminine way

Grammar Patterns

shameless + noun

Usage Note

Usually describes someone's look, clothing, or remark rather than a lasting personality trait. Less common than sense 1 in everyday conversation.

Common Mistakes

She is such a shameless person' (vague, unclear which sense).
She gave him a shameless look.
prefers a specific behaviour or expression over describing the person directly.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

These four words all describe wrongdoing that is open and unashamed, but they differ in emphasis. Shameless stresses the absence of guilt — the person simply does not feel bad about what they do. Brazen adds the idea of boldness and defiance: a brazen liar not only lies but does so confidently, even when caught. Blatant focuses on the obviousness of the wrongdoing — a blatant error is so clear that no one could miss it. Flagrant is the strongest of the four and carries legal or moral weight: a flagrant violation of human rights openly tramples a rule that everyone knows matters. Use shameless for personal or everyday wrongs (a shameless excuse), brazen when the person seems proud of their behaviour, blatant for obviousness (a blatant copy of the original), and flagrant for serious breaches (flagrant corruption).

shameless ↗brazenblatantflagrant

Common collocations

Nouns

  • shameless behaviour
  • shameless act
  • shameless display
  • shameless disregard
  • shameless lie
  • shameless attempt
  • shameless promotion
  • shameless look
  • shameless smile
  • shameless dress

Adverbs

  • absolutely shameless
  • utterly shameless
  • quite shameless
  • completely shameless

Phrases

  • a shameless [noun]
  • shameless + [noun of behaviour or appearance]

Prepositions

  • shameless about

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Shameless comes from Old English 'sceamleas', where 'sceamu' meant 'shame' and the suffix '-leas' meant 'without' or 'lacking'. The word has kept the same basic structure for over a thousand years: shame + -less = without shame. The sexual sense emerged later, around the 16th century, as the word was applied to people who ignored social rules about modesty.