apologies - not sure why this posted so many times... (I'm embarrassed)

They are very similar and the meanings overlap. When you are embarrassed, you just feel self-conscious. You feel you have done something awkward, You don't think you've done anything wrong, or not seriously wrong. For example, "Because it was an important meeting, I wore a coat and tie (a full business suit). When I got there, I found that everybody else was wearing a tee-shirt and blue jeans. I was the only person wearing a tie. I was embarrassed." Or, "I was trying to impress a date by taking her to a good restaurant. We drank champagne. Suddenly, I belched. That was embarrassing!" When you are ashamed, you feel self-conscious _because_ you have been caught in public doing something that is actually _wrong._ You've done something wrong and everyone knows it. "Annie, why is Johnny crying again? You took his toy away from him, didn't you!" "I'm sorry, Mama." Annie feels ashamed.

"ashamed" is much stronger and much more negative than "embarrassed". It means that you strongly wish you had not done something. Sally felt embarrassed when Bob praised her in front of other people. Jack felt embarrassed for forgetting his cousin-in-law's birthday. Tim was deeply ashamed by his past as a paid murderer, and now he worked hard every day to try to atone for the crimes of his past.

I agree; "ashamed" implies something that is morally negative/ goes beyond accepted moral behaviour.

I agree; "ashamed" implies something that is morally negative/ goes beyond accepted moral behaviour.