Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day – "unabashed"

Podcast Episode: November 26, 2025
Host: Peter Sokolowski

Episode Overview

This episode spotlights the adjective "unabashed," exploring its meaning, usage, etymology, and literary examples. Host Peter Sokolowski breaks down how the word captures boldness and a lack of embarrassment and provides context from both modern pop culture and classic literature.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Definition & Usage

• "Unabashed" (adjective): describes someone who is not embarrassed or ashamed about openly expressing strong feelings or opinions.
  • Spelling: U-N-A-B-A-S-H-E-D

Contemporary Example

• Example sentence from the Los Angeles Times:

  "Take the melodramatic storyline of a telenovela and tell it through the unabashed mediums of opera and drag and you'll have ‘Inebria Me,’ the subversive experimental opera by San Cha, ending its west coast tour at Redcat this month. Latin dance fuses with queer storytelling as the sounds of punk, classical and electronic make up the performance, which pulls from creator Son Cha's 2019 album ‘La Luz de la Esperanza.’"
  — [00:42]

Root and Opposite

• "To abash" someone: to shake up their composure or self-possession.
  • Literary illustration:

    "With these he had never blushed in his life. No humiliation could abash him." — Charlotte Brontë, Shirley (1849)
    — [01:24]

• Contrast:
  • Unabashed: acting openly, without apology, embarrassment, or concealment.
  • Abashed: confidence is shaken; feeling inferior or ashamed, often due to embarrassment.

Word History

• "Abashed" has described embarrassment since the 14th century.
• "Unabashed" came into English a century later (15th century).
  • Quote:

    "English speakers have been using the word abashed to describe feelings of embarrassment since the 14th century, but they have only used unabashed, brazenly or otherwise, since the 15th century. Not that there's anything wrong with that."
    — [01:44]

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On the meaning of unabashed:

  "Someone who is unabashed is not embarrassed or ashamed about openly expressing strong feelings or opinions."
  — Peter Sokolowski [00:42]

• On abash vs. unabashed:

  "When you are unabashed, you make no apologies for your behavior, nor do you attempt to hide or disguise it. But when you are abashed, your confidence has been thrown off and you may feel rather inferior or ashamed of yourself."
  — Peter Sokolowski [01:21]

• On word origins:

  "English speakers have been using the word abashed to describe feelings of embarrassment since the 14th century, but they have only used unabashed, brazenly or otherwise, since the 15th century. Not that there's anything wrong with that."
  — Peter Sokolowski [01:44]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:42] — Definition and usage with modern culture example from the LA Times
• [01:24] — Literary example of "abash" from Charlotte Brontë
• [01:41] — Contrast between unabashed and abashed: implications and feelings
• [01:44] — Etymology and notes on historical usage of "abashed" and "unabashed"

Episode Takeaway

This episode offers a concise yet insightful look at "unabashed," showing how the word champions bold authenticity and honesty—whether in art, literature, or everyday life. Through vivid modern and classical references, listeners not only learn the meaning but also feel encouraged to embrace being unabashed themselves.