Meaning & use
embarrass
Last updated
Meanings
verbtransitive
To make someone feel awkward, ashamed, or self-conscious in front of others.
Grammar: Takes an object: embarrass someone. Often used in the passive: be embarrassed by something.
Patterns
- embarrass someone
- be embarrassed by something
- embarrass oneself
He didn't mean to embarrass her in front of the whole class.
I was embarrassed by my mistake during the presentation.
She tends to embarrass herself when she speaks too quickly.
verbtransitive
To cause difficulty or problems for a person, group, or organization.
Grammar: Takes an object; often used in the passive or with 'financially'.
Patterns
- embarrass someone financially
- be embarrassed by debts
- embarrass the company
The scandal embarrassed the entire organization.
He was embarrassed by mounting debts.
The question embarrassed the politician during the interview.
Word forms
| third person singular | embarrasses |
|---|---|
| past tense | embarrassed |
| past participle | embarrassed |
| -ing form | embarrassing |
Common combinations
- embarrass someone in public
- Please don't embarrass me in public like that.
- be embarrassed by something
- She was embarrassed by her loud laugh.
- embarrass oneself
- He embarrassed himself by forgetting her name.
- financially embarrass
- The lawsuit could financially embarrass the company.
Synonyms and how they differ
- humiliate
- Humiliate is stronger and suggests making someone feel deeply ashamed or foolish, often in public; embarrass can be milder.
- shame
- Shame focuses on making someone feel guilty or dishonored; embarrass focuses on awkwardness or self-consciousness.
- mortify
- Mortify is very strong and means to cause extreme embarrassment; it is less common in everyday speech.
Opposites
Word family
- embarrassment noun
- The feeling of being embarrassed, or a cause of it.
- embarrassed adjective
- Feeling awkward or ashamed.
- embarrassing adjective
- Causing someone to feel awkward or ashamed.
Commonly confused: embarrass or embarazada?
embarrass vs embarazada
This Spanish word means 'pregnant', not 'embarrassed'. English speakers sometimes confuse the two.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence.
Choose one answer.
The passive form 'be embarrassed by' is correct. 'Embarrassing' would mean she caused embarrassment, 'embarrass' is the base form, and 'embarrassment' is a noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “embarrass”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.