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.
“It’s embarrassing if you don’t come with one,” Kirsty Downes, 35, said as several other Pitbull lookalikes strode through Hyde Park on the way to the show.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
The 21-year-old is "hyper aware" while in nightclubs - avoiding promoters' cameras and watching for strangers filming - fully aware that any embarrassing moments could end up as content.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
It feels pretty basic, not to mention embarrassing, to have a sudden summer crush on Messi, but I don’t care.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
This includes Dolan’s fronting of an embarrassing blues-rock band, often while sporting a fedora, and he inflicts his music on audiences by installing himself as the opener for acts like the Eagles.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
Sometimes they acted like newlyweds, and it was kind of embarrassing to watch.
From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai
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.
