Ashamed means feeling bad about something you did, especially now that other people know. Eyes down, wanting the room to empty.
The word needs a preposition or a clause: ashamed of himself, ashamed to admit it, ashamed that it took so long. It differs from embarrassed in what caused it, because embarrassment follows an awkward moment and shame follows a wrong. English has a useful pair here, since ashamed is about the deed and shy is about the company. There is also a common negative, and being not ashamed to say something is a way of announcing you mean it.
1adjectiveashamedFeeling guilt or distress about something you have done.
“He was ashamed of how he had spoken to her.”
Old English
āsċamod
Middle English
ashamed
English, today
ashamed
From Middle English ashamed, aschamed, from Old English āsċamod, past participle of Old English āsċamian (“to be ashamed”), equivalent to a + shame + ed.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA