embarrassing
- 01 B1 Intermediate
adj.making you feel ashamed, nervous, or uncomfortable in front of other people.
adj.causing a feeling of self-conscious distress or social awkwardness.
Simple“It was so embarrassing when I forgot my best friend's name at the party.”
In context“The politician faced an embarrassing series of questions regarding the sudden discrepancy in the campaign's financial records.”
PitfallI was very embarrassing when I fell down. I was very embarrassed when I fell down.Use 'embarrassing' for the situation that causes the feeling, and 'embarrassed' for the person who feels it.
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
n.the act of making someone feel ashamed or uncomfortable.
n.the gerundial act of causing someone to feel self-conscious or socially awkward.
Simple“The public embarrassing of the witness was unnecessary and cruel.”
In context“The deliberate embarrassing of junior staff members was cited as a primary reason for the department's toxic work environment.”
UsageOften used as the subject of a sentence or after a preposition.
Synonyms
embarrassing vs embarrassed — Embarrassed is the internal feeling of shame; embarrassing is the external quality that causes it.
By surface analysis, embarrass + -ing.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.