Meaning & use
embarrassed
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Meaning
adjectivecomparable
Feeling awkward because you think other people may judge something you did, said, or felt.
Grammar: Usually modified by very, too, or really; more embarrassed is possible, but very embarrassed is more common.
Patterns
- embarrassed about something
- embarrassed to do something
- embarrassed by something
Mia felt embarrassed about forgetting her neighbor's name.
He was too embarrassed to ask for directions.
I was embarrassed by how loudly I had laughed.
Common combinations
- deeply embarrassed
- She was deeply embarrassed by the typo in her email.
- embarrassed about a mistake
- He is embarrassed about a mistake he made in class.
- embarrassed to ask
- They were embarrassed to ask for help.
- embarrassed silence
- An embarrassed silence followed the failed joke.
Synonyms and how they differ
- ashamed
- Stronger and more moral; use when guilt is central, not just awkwardness.
- awkward
- Often describes the situation; embarrassed describes the person's feeling.
- humiliated
- Much stronger; it suggests public shame or loss of dignity.
- self-conscious
- Focuses on being watched or judged over time, not one awkward moment.
Opposites
Word family
- embarrass verb
- To make someone feel awkward or judged.
- embarrassing adjective
- Causing that awkward feeling; use for events, not feelings.
- embarrassment noun
- The feeling, or a person or thing that causes it.
Commonly confused: embarrassed or embarrassing? embarrassed or embarrased?
embarrassed vs embarrassing
A person feels embarrassed; a situation is embarrassing.
embarrassed vs embarrased
The spelling has double r and double s: embarrassed.
Practice
Choose the correct word: I felt ___ after tripping in the hallway.
Choose one answer.
The person feels embarrassed. Embarrassing would describe the trip or the laughter, not the speaker's feeling.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “embarrassed”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.