embarrassment
n. C / Un. the shy or uncomfortable feeling you get when you make a mistake or do something silly in front of others.
n. a state of self-conscious distress or awkwardness resulting from a perceived social impropriety or failure. Often used to describe the emotional response to public scrutiny or personal exposure.
He turned red with embarrassment after tripping on the stairs.
She felt a wave of embarrassment when she realized she had been calling her new boss by the wrong name all morning.
The politician's public apology was intended to mitigate the embarrassment caused by the leaked documents, though many critics felt the gesture was far too late to be effective.
From embarrass + -ment.
Uncountable when referring to the general feeling; countable when referring to a specific event or person that causes the feeling.
It was an embarrassment situation.It was an embarrassing situation.Learners often use the noun 'embarrassment' as an adjective instead of using the participle form 'embarrassing'.