Greek word · G2617

καταισχύνω

kataischynō

to dishonor

To shame or disgrace someone. To humiliate. To leave someone exposed as foolish or let down because what they relied on failed them. The passive means 'be put to shame, be disgraced'. This is a public, social word about honor and its loss. It is not mainly about private feeling.

Appears 13 times in 12 verses of the Greek New Testament. · Updated October 23, 2026

What it means

κατ-αισχύνω

[in LXX chiefly for בּוּשׁ ;]

to disgrace, dishonour, put to shame: with accusative of thing(s), 1 Corinthians 11:4-5; with accusative of person(s), 1 Corinthians 1:27 11:22; pass., to be ashamed: Luke 13:17, 2 Corinthians 7:14 9:4, 1 Peter 3:16; as in LXX (Psalms 22:6 25:2-3, al.), of unfulfilled hopes: Romans 5:5; pass., Romans 9:33 10:11, 1 Peter 2:6" (LXX) .†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Romans 5:5

Range of meaning: To shame or disgrace someone. To humiliate. To leave someone exposed as foolish or let down because what they relied on failed them. The passive means 'be put to shame, be disgraced'. This is a public, social word about honor and its loss. It is not mainly about private feeling.
Against the English: KJV 'maketh not ashamed' and ESV/NIV 'does not put us to shame' keep the honor-shame sense. BSB, WEB and NASB 'does not disappoint' and NLT 'will not lead to disappointment' move it into private emotion: a hope that doesn't let you down. That is part of the meaning, but it loses the picture of public vindication.
How it drifted: Modern English 'disappoint' names a private letdown. Paul's world ran on honor and shame, and in that world a failed hope meant public humiliation. You had staked your name on someone, and everyone could see they had not come through. Translators reached for 'disappoint' to sound natural, and the setting before God's judgment faded out.
Used elsewhere in the period: This is the language of the Greek Old Testament (the Septuagint, or LXX). Psalm 22:5 (LXX 21:6): 'in you they hoped and were not put to shame (ou katēschynthēsan)'. Psalm 25:3, 20 (LXX 24): 'let none who wait for you be put to shame'. Isaiah 28:16 LXX: 'whoever believes in him will not be put to shame'. Paul quotes that Isaiah line in Romans 9:33 and 10:11. Sirach 2:10 asks: 'Who ever trusted in the Lord and was put to shame?'

From the study of 1 Peter 2:6

Range of meaning: To put to shame, to disgrace publicly, to humiliate. In the passive it means to be shamed or to be let down, especially because what you relied on proved worthless. In the Greek Old Testament it is often used for the final disgrace of those who trusted in idols or false supports, in contrast to the vindication of those who trust God (e.g., Ps 25:2–3; Isa 45:17).
Against the English: 'Put to shame' (BSB, YLT) is accurate. 'Confounded' (KJV) meant 'brought to ruin, disgraced' in 1611 but now sounds like 'confused'. 'Disappointed' (WEB, some NASB editions) makes it a private feeling and loses the public disgrace.
How it drifted: English 'confound' drifted from 'overthrow, put to shame' to 'bewilder'. In an individualised modern culture shame is felt mainly as an inner emotion, while in the ancient world it was a public loss of standing.
Used elsewhere in the period: The Hebrew of Isaiah 28:16 reads 'lō' yāḥîš', 'will not hurry/panic/flee'. The Greek translation 'will not be put to shame' may interpret this or reflect a different reading. Peter uses the same verb in 3:16 of slanderers who will be 'put to shame'.

From the study of Romans 10:11

Range of meaning: An intensified form of aischunō ("to shame"). It means to disgrace or dishonour someone. In the passive it means to be put to shame: to be publicly humiliated, to be let down by what you relied on, and in the Psalms and Prophets to be shown up as a fool for trusting the wrong thing. Its opposite is being vindicated or honoured.
Against the English: KJV "shall not be ashamed" sounds to modern ears like an inner emotion ("I won't feel embarrassed"). WEB and NASB 1995 "will not be disappointed" catch the sense of trust let down but lose the public disgrace. "Put to shame" (BSB, NIV, ESV) and "disgraced" (NLT) are closest.
How it drifted: In 1611 "be ashamed" could still mean being brought to shame, with the event happening to you. Modern English has narrowed "ashamed" to a feeling, mostly a feeling of guilt or embarrassment.
Used elsewhere in the period: Common in the Greek Old Testament (the Septuagint) for Hebrew bôsh: "In you our fathers trusted… and were not put to shame" (Ps 22:5 [LXX 21:6]); "let none who wait for you be put to shame" (Ps 25:3 [24:3]); Joel 2:26–27, "my people shall never again be put to shame." Elsewhere in Paul: Rom 5:5, hope "does not put to shame"; Rom 9:33, the same Isaiah quotation; compare 1 Pet 2:6.

Where it appears

Luke · 1

Luke 13:17 κατῃσχύνοντο were ashamed

When Jesus said this, all His adversaries were humiliated. And the whole crowd rejoiced at all the glorious things He was doing.

Romans · 3

Romans 5:5 καταισχύνει, does make [us] ashamed,

And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.

Here: Hope will not leave the one who hoped publicly disgraced, shown up as a fool for trusting. The phrase comes from the psalms and Isaiah, where those who trust God are 'not put to shame'.
Romans 9:33 καταισχυνθήσεται.¶ will be put to shame.

as it is written: “See, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense; and the one who believes in Him will never be put to shame.”

Here: A future passive, "will be put to shame". It means being publicly let down: your trust turns out to be misplaced and your standing is lost, above all when God judges. The point is not a private feeling of embarrassment.
Romans 10:11 καταισχυνθήσεται. will be put to shame.

It is just as the Scripture says: “Anyone who believes in Him will never be put to shame.”

Here: Future passive: will not be publicly shamed, will not have their trust exposed as empty, and will not be left humiliated before others and before God at the judgment. This is about an outcome (being vindicated), not about a private feeling of embarrassment.

1 Corinthians · 5

1 Corinthians 1:27 καταισχύνῃ καταισχύνῃ He may shame

But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

Here: To strip someone of honour publicly so that their claim to standing is exposed as empty. In an honour-and-shame culture this is a heavy word. It is the opposite of being vindicated.
1 Corinthians 11:4 καταισχύνει he dishonors

Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head.
1 Corinthians 11:5 καταισχύνει dishonors

And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, for it is just as if her head were shaved.
1 Corinthians 11:22 καταισχύνετε put to shame

Don’t you have your own homes in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What can I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? No, I will not!

Here: To disgrace someone publicly, so that they lose face in front of others. In an honour-shame society this was a real social injury, not just hurt feelings.

2 Corinthians · 2

2 Corinthians 7:14 κατῃσχύνθην, I was put to shame,

Indeed, I was not embarrassed by anything I had boasted to him about you. But just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting to Titus has proved to be true as well.
2 Corinthians 9:4 καταισχυνθῶμεν shall be put to shame

Otherwise, if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we—to say nothing of you—would be ashamed of having been so confident.

1 Peter · 2

1 Peter 2:6 καταισχυνθῇ. may be put to shame.

For it stands in Scripture: “See, I lay in Zion a stone, a chosen and precious cornerstone; and the one who believes in Him will never be put to shame.”

Here: To be publicly disgraced because what you relied on failed you. Ultimately this means at God's final verdict. The promise is that the one who rests on this stone will be vindicated, not exposed as a fool.
1 Peter 3:16 καταισχυνθῶσιν they may be ashamed

keeping a clear conscience, so that those who slander you may be put to shame by your good behavior in Christ.

Here: Aorist passive subjunctive: 'they may be put to shame'. This is public disgrace in an honor-shame society: the accusers lose face when their charges are shown to be false. It may also look ahead to God's judgment.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.