Avergonzado is an adjective in Spanish.
/aβeɾɡonˈθaðo/ (in Spain)
/aβeɾɡonˈsado/ (in Latin America)
Avergonzado refers to a feeling of shame or embarrassment. It can describe a state of being where a person feels self-conscious or uncomfortable due to a situation or their actions. This word is typically used in both oral and written contexts, but its frequency may vary depending on the subject of conversation. In more formal writing, you might encounter it more often than in casual speech.
Él se sintió avergonzado después de contar esa historia.
(He felt ashamed after telling that story.)
Estaba avergonzado por no haber recordado su cumpleaños.
(He was embarrassed for not having remembered her birthday.)
Cuando llegó tarde a la reunión, se mostró muy avergonzado.
(When he arrived late to the meeting, he appeared very embarrassed.)
While avergonzado itself isn’t widely used in specific idiomatic expressions, it is often employed in phrases where feelings of shame or embarrassment are expressed. Below are examples featuring the adjectival form and its connection to various expressions involving shame:
No hay razón para sentirse avergonzado por pedir ayuda.
(There is no reason to feel ashamed for asking for help.)
A veces, las experiencias que nos hacen sentir avergonzados son las que más aprendemos.
(Sometimes, the experiences that make us feel embarrassed are the ones we learn the most from.)
No te sientas avergonzado de tus raíces; son parte de quien eres.
(Don’t feel ashamed of your roots; they are part of who you are.)
Mi amigo se avergonzó al darse cuenta de que había ido a la fiesta en zapatillas.
(My friend was embarrassed when he realized he had gone to the party in sneakers.)
The word avergonzado is derived from the verb avergonzar, which comes from the Latin vulgare (to make common or public) with the prefix a- (which often indicates a change or a process) and gonzar (from Latin "gundere," to feel, or "guilty"). The construction encompasses the notion of becoming engulfed in shame or embarrassment.