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’re Gonna Learn” is reggae-influenced at a time when that wasn’t a widely known, let alone embraced, genre in American rock, and they manage to pull it off without embarrassing themselves.
From Salon ● Nov. 3, 2026
The plan then backfired in embarrassing fashion when the judge determined that the evidence the government mustered was insufficient to establish probable cause to support the charges.
From Slate ● Nov. 3, 2026
The British find it a little embarrassing to make a fuss about some far-off event that may never happen.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
Take Alexis Mac Allister, described as "embarrassing" by Jamie Carragher for throwing himself to the ground, claiming he was headbutted by Noni Madueke in the second half.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026
“Trust me, Duke. They’ll delay new episodes until you’re better if we—or rather, I—can encourage Fred to make a few more embarrassing blunders.”
From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
