embarrass

verb

em·​bar·​rass im-ˈber-əs 

-ˈba-rəs

embarrassed; embarrassing; embarrasses

transitive verb

1

a

: to cause to experience a state of self-conscious distress

bawdy stories embarrassed him

b

: to place in doubt, perplexity, or difficulties

c

: to involve in financial difficulties

2

a

: to hamper the movement of

b

: hinder, impede

3

: to make intricate : complicate

4

: to impair the activity of (a bodily function) or the function of (a bodily part)

digestion embarrassed by overeating

intransitive verb

: to become anxiously self-conscious

he embarrasses easily

embarrassable

im-ˈber-ə-sə-bəl 

-ˈba-rə-

adjective

Did you know?

Embarrass comes from Portuguese embaraçar, whose prefix (em-) is from Latin in- and whose base word means "noose." Although embarrass has had various meanings related to acts that hinder or impede, these days it most often implies making someone feel or look foolish.

Did you know?

Embarrass: Its Spelling and Use

Are you here because you spelled embarrass wrong? Don't be embarrassed.

Instead, remember that the word embarrass got those embarrassing r's and s's from the French: English embarrass comes from the French word embarrasser.

When used as an active verb, embarrass is most often seen in constructions like "x embarrasses/embarrassed me/them." The word is also very commonly used as a passive verb. In such cases, the preposition by is a frequent companion:

Private companies were embarrassed by being shown to co-operate with the American authorities.
— The Economist, 12 Nov. 2016

Teenagers are always easily embarrassed by their parents.
— Farley Granger, Include Me Out: My Life from Goldwyn to Broadway, 2007

In that moment, I know I have begun to assign the termites the powers of volition and desire, the experiences of pain and regret. I am embarrassed by this, and dare not mention it to the scientists.
— Duncan Murrell, Harper's, August 2005

People are also regularly embarrassed about something:

His attorney said he was embarrassed about the incident and didn't want anybody to notice him.
— Richard Martin, The Atlantic Monthly, June 2001

Fiction has no reason to be embarrassed about telling the same story again and again, since we all, with infinite variations, live the same story.
— John Simon, The New Republic, 21 Nov. 1983

Sometimes they're embarrassed (or not) on someone's behalf—that is, they're embarrassed for someone:

Nobody ever felt embarrassed for Yoko Ono.
— Bruno Maddox, Spy, November 1996

They're less commonly embarrassed at something:

She would be deeply embarrassed at my admiration, more so at my naming her in print.
— Nancy Harmon Jenkins, The New York Times Magazine, 4 May 1986

His cogent reasoning made me embarrassed at my own first reaction….
—David Greenberg, The New Republic, 14 Nov. 1994

Occasionally, and by some measures increasingly, people are embarrassed of something, as in "They're embarrassed of the way it happened." This use is not yet common in published, edited text and is considered by some to be a mistake.

Synonyms

• abash
• confound
• confuse
• discomfit
• disconcert
• discountenance
• faze
• fluster
• mortify
• nonplus
• rattle

Choose the Right Synonym for embarrass

embarrass, discomfit, abash, disconcert, rattle mean to distress by confusing or confounding.

embarrass implies some influence that impedes thought, speech, or action.

the question embarrassed her so much she couldn't answer

discomfit implies a hampering or frustrating accompanied by confusion.

hecklers discomfited the speaker

abash presupposes some initial self-confidence that receives a sudden check, producing shyness, shame, or a feeling of inferiority.

abashed by her swift and cutting retort

disconcert implies an upsetting of equanimity or assurance producing uncertainty or hesitancy.

disconcerted by finding so many in attendance

rattle implies an agitation that impairs thought and judgment.

rattled by all the television cameras

Examples of embarrass in a Sentence

Unexpected laughter embarrassed the speaker.

She's worried about embarrassing herself in front of such a large audience.

I would never do anything to embarrass my family.

The protest was staged as a deliberate attempt to embarrass the government.

Recent Examples on the Web

If two people actually did this on a real-life New Year’s Eve TV show today, the clip would immediately go viral and everyone would be making fun of them on social media with snarky commentary and embarrassing GIFs and a hashtag: #newyearscrazydance. —Bob Sassone, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2024

And then, on this trip in the last several days, living in the shadow of this larger-than-life character and feeling constantly put upon and shamed by him and embarrassed by him. —Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 12 Dec. 2024

This could be used improperly to pressure or embarrass the opposing party. —Lars Daniel, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024

Reporters circle, looking for a chance to embarrass the military for accepting Black women into its ranks, while male colleagues are openly disrespectful, with Gen. Halt (Dean Norris) setting a contemptuous example from the top. —Peter Debruge, Variety, 6 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French embarrasser, from Spanish embarazar, from Portuguese embaraçar, from em- (from Latin in-) + baraça noose

First Known Use

1578, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2a

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

embarrass

verb

em·​bar·​rass im-ˈbar-əs 

1

: to cause to feel self-consciously confused or distressed

unexpected laughter embarrassed the speaker

2

: to restrict the movement of : hinder, impede

3

: to involve in financial difficulties

embarrassingly

-ˈbar-ə-siŋ-lē

adverb

Medical Definition

embarrass

transitive verb

em·​bar·​rass im-ˈbar-əs 

: to impair the activity of (a bodily function) or the function of (a bodily part)

digestion embarrassed by overeating