szemére

Szemére is a Hungarian verb that means to rebuke, reproach, or shame someone for a fault or misdeed. It is typically found in literary, historical, or formal registers rather than in everyday speech, where more common terms for admonition, such as megrovás or szemrehányás, are used.

The verb is used with a person as the direct object and often conveys a strong, public, or moralizing sense of fault. It can appear in constructions that express the act of assigning blame or exposing a fault to others, sometimes in the form “szemére vágni” or similar phrases. Because of its emphatic and sometimes archaic tone, szemére often occurs in historical narratives, legal language, or stylistically elevated prose.

Etymologically, the sense of the word is linked to concepts of modesty or shame. The broader semantic field centers on social norms and the idea of judging or calling attention to a violation of those norms. In modern usage, the verb retains its formal or literary flavor and is less common in casual conversation.

In addition to the verb sense, related forms and compounds connect to the broader idea of modesty or private conduct. However, the standalone noun form szemére is uncommon outside older or specialized texts. Contemporary Hungarian tends to use more everyday terms when discussing admonition, while szemére remains of interest mainly in historical, literary, or linguistic contexts.

See also: szemérmet, szeméremtest, megrovás, szemrehányás.