Ashamed vs. Embarrassed

synonyms

I'm sure you've heard both of these words before. If you still wanna improve your English language proficiency, you'd better join me.

What Is Their Main Difference?

Both of these words refer to one's inner feelings. However, 'ashamed' is a person who feels guilty after having done something immoral and feels sorry. 'Embarrassed', on the other hand, is someone who is fearful of other people's judgments. They might not have done anything wrong necessarily.

Differences

As stated above, we use 'ashamed' when we feel guilty for something we have done. Look below:

The killer wasn't ashamed of what she had done.

She used to feel ashamed whenever her therapist spoke of love.

We use 'embarrassed' when we are afraid of how other people will judge our actions. Look at the following examples:

If you are embarrassed in front of the guitarists, you won't be able to practice with them.

I finally decided to go to therapy to help me not be embarrassed when speaking in front of a group of people anymore.

Similarities

Both of these words refer to someone's emotions and how they feel inside. Check out the following examples:

The society tells you to be yourself and then it makes you feel embarrassed when you are.

She wasn't even ashamed of what she had said.

Are They Interchangeable?

These words cannot be used interchangeably, because there refer to the different emotional states of a human being. If you take a look at the following examples, you will see that we can feel both ashamed and embarrassed, but we feel embarrassed because of how others might judge our actions. Compare:

✓ Unconsciously, many of us feel ashamed of who we really are within.

X Unconsciously, many of us feel embarrassed of who we really are within.