- 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.
Looking to avoid an embarrassing L, the committee postponed the Blanche vote, which had been scheduled for Thursday.
From Slate ● Jul. 30, 2026
The most embarrassing entries relate Dr. Fauci’s fixation with his own press coverage.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
"It was really embarrassing and I couldn't do it anymore," she says.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
The embarrassing stories keep coming because the sources keep talking.
From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026
He had a wife we will not name, because it would be embarrassing to her family.
From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri
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.
