embarrass

[ em-bar-uhs ]

/ ɛmˈbær əs /

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See synonyms for: embarrass / embarrassed / embarrassing on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to cause confusion and shame to; make uncomfortably self-conscious; disconcert; abash: His bad table manners embarrassed her.

to make difficult or intricate, as a question or problem; complicate.

to put obstacles or difficulties in the way of; impede: The motion was advanced in order to embarrass the progress of the bill.

to beset with financial difficulties; burden with debt: The decline in sales embarrassed the company.

verb (used without object)

to become disconcerted, abashed, or confused.

OTHER WORDS FOR embarrass

1 discompose, discomfit, chagrin.

3 hamper, hinder.

See synonyms for embarrass on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of embarrass

1665–75; <French embarrasser<Spanish embarazar<Portuguese embaraçar, equivalent to em-em-¹ + -baraçar, verbal derivative of baraço, baraça cord, strap, noose (of obscure origin)

synonym study for embarrass

1. See confuse.

OTHER WORDS FROM embarrass

em·bar·rassed·ly

[em-bar-uhst-lee, -uh-sid-lee], /ɛmˈbær əst li, -ə sɪd li/, adverbem·bar·rass·ing·ly, adverbpre·em·bar·rass, verb (used with object)un·em·bar·rassed, adjective

Words nearby embarrass

embark, embarkation, embarkment, Embarras, embarras de richesses, embarrass, embarrassing, embarrassment, embarrassment of riches, embassage, embassy

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use embarrass in a sentence

He’s still working out his identity as a writer, and thus far that identity has been well-intentioned celeb turned author who hasn’t embarrassed himself.
David Duchovny wants to be taken seriously as a novelist. His new book makes a good case.|Mark Athitakis|February 1, 2021|Washington Post
I made a good living and I’m embarrassed to say that I never really loved it, but now, let’s backtrack.
Danica Patrick on Why She Never Loved Racing and Her Post-Track Career|Joshua Eferighe|January 30, 2021|Ozy
Miss Manners has always disliked the public ranking of donors, apparently intended to embarrass the smaller ones into buying their way into a higher category.
Miss Manners: Skip the ‘You’re welcome’ email|Judith Martin, Nicholas Martin, Jacobina Martin|January 19, 2021|Washington Post
These elite schools should be embarrassed by their graduates who have committed sedition and they must take action in response if they are to save their reputations.
Harvard, Stanford, Yale: Denounce sedition of your graduates|Peter Rosenstein|January 14, 2021|Washington Blade

This revelation embarrassed Democratic members of the committee.
Ted Cruz’s proposed election commission can only hurt the country|Stuart MacKay|January 6, 2021|Washington Post
After almost five months without a solution, the lack of initiative is starting to embarrass the Lebanese government.
A Sunni-Shia Love Story Imperiled by al Qaeda|Ruth Michaelson|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The mass dump suggests that whoever did this, their primary motivation was to embarrass Sony Pictures.
No, North Korea Didn’t Hack Sony|Marc Rogers|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The final question we should ask: are they pursuing justice and the rule of law, or merely silencing those who embarrass them?
Sentencing Looms for Barrett Brown, Advocate for “Anonymous”|Kevin M. Gallagher|December 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Much of the praise of Pence is in this vein—he will not embarrass us.
Mike Pence, Dark Horse in Training for 2016|David Freedlander|June 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Nothing to see, just Republican witch hunts designed to embarrass the president and perhaps land blows against Hillary Clinton.
The Scandal at the VA Is Real, and Obama Is Ducking It|Ron Christie|May 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Ministers deprecated the motion as tending to embarrass the administration, and defeat the very end for which it was proposed.
The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.III.|E. Farr and E. H. Nolan
As we approached Pomeroy the militia began to embarrass our march by felling trees and erecting barricades across the roads.
Famous Adventures And Prison Escapes of the Civil War|Various
Jane, the elder sister, was the more dignified and it was therefore easier to embarrass her.
Napoleon's Young Neighbor|Helen Leah Reed
The first questions must never perplex or embarrass the pupil, for they are very important.
The Sabbath-School Index|Richard Gay Pardee
Not being hot at his preaching there was less enthusiasm about him now, and the presence of the grinder seemed to embarrass him.
Tess of the d'Urbervilles|Thomas Hardy

British Dictionary definitions for embarrass

embarrass

/ (ɪmˈbærəs) /

verb (mainly tr)

(also intr) to feel or cause to feel confusion or self-consciousness; disconcert; fluster

(usually passive) to involve in financial difficulties

archaic to make difficult; complicate

archaic to impede; obstruct; hamper

Derived forms of embarrass

embarrassed, adjectiveembarrassedly, adverb

Word Origin for embarrass

C17: (in the sense: to impede): via French and Spanish from Italian imbarrazzare, from imbarrare to confine within bars; see en- 1, bar 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

embarrass

OTHER WORDS FOR embarrass

Origin of embarrass

synonym study for embarrass

OTHER WORDS FROM embarrass

Words nearby embarrass

Words related to embarrass

How to use embarrass in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for embarrass

Derived forms of embarrass

Word Origin for embarrass