unabashed
Meaning
not embarrassed, ashamed, or made to feel less confident, especially in a situation where others might be.
Structure
Usage
she spoke with unabashed enthusiasm about her controversial project.
he is an unabashed admirer of the director's early work.
they stared at the celebrity with unabashed curiosity.
Etymology
The word 'unabashed' is formed within English by the straightforward combination of the native negative prefix 'un-' and the adjective 'abashed'. 'Abashed' itself has a more complex journey, entering Middle English from the Old French verb 'esbahir', meaning to astonish or amaze. This Old French term likely derives from a Vulgar Latin root combining the intensive prefix 'ex-' with a form related to 'badare', meaning to gape or be open-mouthed. Thus, the literal sense of being 'abashed' was to be struck with astonishment to the point of gaping, which evolved into the modern sense of being disconcerted or ashamed. 'unabashed' logically reverses this, describing someone who is not disconcerted or made to feel shame, even in potentially embarrassing circumstances.
Analysis
- un: a prefix of english origin (from old english) meaning "not," used to give a word a negative or opposite force. - abashed: an adjective of english origin, from the past participle of the middle english verb 'abash', meaning disconcerted or embarrassed.