Abash — A Vocabulary Story
The Missing Sketchbook at Camden Market
Zahra hurried between the stalls of Camden Market, weaving past racks of leather jackets and trays of sizzling noodles. Her sketchbook, the one her father had given her before he'd flown back to Cairo, was missing.
"Lost something?" asked a stallholder named Luis, looking up from a tray of silver rings.
"My drawings," Zahra mumbled, trying not to abash herself by crying in public. She hated the way tears could abash a person in front of strangers.
Abash means to make someone feel embarrassed, disconcerted, or ashamed.
Luis tilted his head. "A girl came by, pink coat, holding a black book."
Zahra darted toward the canal bridge. There, perched on the railing, sat a girl her own age, flipping through the pages. Zahra felt her cheeks abash with heat.
"That's mine," she said, more sharply than intended.
The girl, Lin, did not abash easily. She lifted her chin. "I found it on a bench. I was going to hand it in."
"Oh." Now it was Zahra's turn to abash, her ears burning. "Sorry. I shouldn't have snapped."
Lin smiled, refusing to abash her further. "Your dragons are brilliant. Did you copy them?"
"No, I made them up."
"Teach me?"
They sat on the bridge, pencils scratching, while barges drifted below. Soon the sketchbook lay open between them, two hands shading the same curling tail.
Word Definition
abash
meaning
to make someone feel embarrassed, disconcerted, or ashamed
synonyms
embarrass · confuse · fluster · mortify · rattle
antonyms
soothe · relieve · comfort
example sentence
He had the grace to look abashed when he realized his mistake.