Courtesy torgo_x

[substitute]

Word of the day is: vergüenza ajena.

It’s a Spanish phrase for when one feels severe shame and embarrassment at what someone else is doing. Such as being at the restaurant when your friend is being mean to the waiter, or watching someone fail to rescue himself from an especially bad foot-in-mouth episode. Literally it means something like “the shame of others”.

Comments

[nefas.livejournal.com]

oh man. i get vergüenza ajena so bad that i almost get sick. good phrase. i'll have to try to remember that. there are even certain movies that i can't watch because i feel so embarrassed for the people on screen. =x

[brianenigma.livejournal.com]

If I remember correctly, This American Life calls that a "cringe moment."

[amorpoeta.livejournal.com]

Another similar and very useful phrase is "sin vergüenza". Literally it means without shame. Some of it's uses include: someone who is unethical or my favorite: a woman who is loose.

[tuliphead.livejournal.com]

thank you, thank you for giving me the word for this. it's a feeling i get sometimes when i'm watching a character in a movie do something embarassing, or when i see someone acting in a way that makes me feel ashamed to be a person. it's gratifying to have a word for this.

[wrecking--ball.livejournal.com]

I've felt that way a lot lately.