embarrass
- 01 B1 Intermediate
to make someone feel self-conscious, ashamed, or uncomfortable, especially in front of others.
to cause someone to feel self-conscious, ashamed, or socially awkward. Transitive; requires a direct object.
Simple“I didn't want to embarrass him by mentioning his mistake in front of the whole team.”
In context“The politician was visibly embarrassed when the journalist pointed out the glaring contradictions in his previous statements regarding tax reform.”
PitfallI was very embarrass when I fell. I was very embarrassed when I fell.Use the '-ed' adjective form to describe how a person feels, and the '-ing' form to describe the situation.
- 02 C1 Advanced
to make a situation or a person's mind feel confused or complicated.
to perplex or disconcert mentally; to make a situation more difficult to deal with through complexity.
Simple“The new rules only serve to embarrass the process further.”
In context“The unexpected legal challenge served to embarrass the negotiations, forcing both parties to reconsider their initial demands.”
Synonyms - 03 C2 Proficiency
to slow down or block movement or progress.
to hinder from liberty of movement; to impede or obstruct progress or action.
Simple“The heavy snow embarrassed our efforts to reach the mountain top.”
In context“The narrow corridors were designed to embarrass the movement of any invading force, creating natural choke points for the defenders.”
Antonyms - 04 C2 Proficiency
to cause someone or a company to have serious money problems or debt.
to involve in difficulties concerning financial matters; to encumber with debt or urgent claims.
Simple“The company was embarrassed by a sudden lack of cash to pay its workers.”
In context“The estate became heavily embarrassed by the previous owner's extravagant spending and poorly managed investments.”
Synonymsencumberburden
Borrowed from French embarrasser, from Middle French embarrasser, embarasser (“to embarrass; to block, obstruct”), from Spanish embarazar, either from Italian imbarazzare or from Portuguese embaraçar.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.