The Greek verb kataischuno means to shame, dishonor, humiliate, or disappoint. It combines kata (down, intensifier) and aischuno (to be ashamed). It appears about 13 times in the New Testament and carries the double meaning of actively shaming someone and experiencing shame or disappointment oneself.
The most theologically significant use of kataischuno is the repeated promise that those who trust in God will never be put to shame. Paul quotes Isaiah 28:16 in Romans 10:11: 'Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame (ou kataischunthesetai).' This promise transforms the entire calculus of faith: to trust Christ is to invest in the only thing that cannot ultimately disappoint. Romans 5:5 is equally powerful: 'And hope does not put us to shame (ou kataischunei), because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.' The world shames the weak, the poor, the suffering. But God's economy reverses this: 'He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things... so that no one may boast before him' (1 Corinthians 1:28–29). Conversely, kataischuno is used for the shaming of the proud — the reversal that characterizes God's kingdom where the last shall be first.