- present participle of embarrass.
embarrassing
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Explanation
Use the adjective embarrassing to describe something that is shameful or humiliating. You probably have a few embarrassing stories that you'd rather not remember, but your siblings are always happy to bring them up at holidays. It's really embarrassing how many people misspell embarrassing. The word has two r's and two s's but you might forget and leave one of them out. Imagine how embarrassing it would be if you were winning the third grade spelling bee and got the word embarrassing wrong. You know everyone would be talking about it. How embarrassing!
Vocabulary lists containing embarrassing
Awkward Moments
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Schooled
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Neighborhood Odes
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
You know their favourite restaurant, what happened with their ex and their most embarrassing childhood story.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
The list of failed enterprises bearing his family moniker is as long as it is embarrassing.
From Salon ● Sep. 24, 2026
This is an embarrassing admission, considering I write about personal finance for a living.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
The Rams are coming off an embarrassing season-opening loss, and Aaron Donald is set to play for the first time since retiring after the 2023 season.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026
Only then did children begin to find their parents embarrassing.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
