embarrass

embarrass — verb

1. To make someone feel awkward or ashamed by doing or saying something in a situat

1.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

To make someone feel awkward or ashamed by doing or saying something in a situation where others are aware of it, especially when the person wishes the matter were private.

Example

Salma's father embarrassed her by showing old baby photos to her new friends.

embarrass + someone + by + [action/thing shown]

Imran felt deeply embarrassed when he called his teacher 'Mom' in front of everyone.

felt + embarrassed + when + [situation]

Common collocations
  • embarrass someone publicly
  • embarrass someone in front of
  • deeply embarrassed
  • embarrass someone by doing
  • embarrass oneself
Synonyms
  • humiliate

    Stronger than embarrass; implies making someone feel utterly foolish or degraded, often in public

  • mortify

    Formal; suggests extreme embarrassment that feels almost unbearable

  • shame

    Focuses on causing someone to feel moral or social disgrace rather than just awkwardness

Antonyms
  • praise

    To express approval, which is the opposite of making someone feel awkward or ashamed

  • honour

    To treat with respect and admiration rather than causing discomfort

Grammar Patterns

embarrass + someone

embarrass + oneself

embarrass + someone + by + -ing form

Usage Note

This is by far the most common meaning. The subject is usually a person, an action, or a situation that draws unwanted attention. The pattern 'embarrass oneself' is used when someone causes their own awkward situation through a mistake or clumsy action.

Common Mistakes

I embarrassed when I fell on stage.
I felt embarrassed when I fell on stage.
'embarrassed' is an adjective and needs a linking verb like 'feel' or 'be'. The verb 'embarrass' must take an object: 'The fall embarrassed me.'
He embarrassed to ask the question.
He was too embarrassed to ask the question.
'embarrassed' as an adjective requires the verb 'to be'; the pattern is 'be embarrassed + to + verb'.

2. To create problems or obstacles that slow down or block the progress of a plan,

2.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

To create problems or obstacles that slow down or block the progress of a plan, process, or activity, making it harder for something to succeed or continue.

Example

The lack of research funding seriously embarrassed the lab's plans for a second clinical trial.

A series of equipment failures embarrassed the company's launch of the new product line.

embarrass + [company's/institution's] + [plan/process] — formal pattern

Common collocations
  • embarrass someone's plans
  • embarrass a process
  • seriously embarrass
  • embarrass efforts
Synonyms
  • hinder

    A more common and neutral word for slowing progress; less formal than this sense of embarrass

  • impede

    Similar formality level; suggests active interference with movement or progress

  • hamper

    Emphasises that something is made more difficult or awkward to do

Antonyms
  • facilitate

    To make a process easier or smoother, the opposite of creating obstacles

  • promote

    To actively support or encourage progress

Grammar Patterns

embarrass + [abstract noun phrase]

embarrass + [someone's] + [plan/effort]

Usage Note

This sense is formal and far less common than the emotional sense (sense 1). It is mostly used in written or formal speech about politics, business, and logistics. The object is almost always an abstract noun such as plan, effort, schedule, or progress. Do not confuse with the everyday emotional meaning.

Common Mistakes

The heavy traffic embarrassed me to arrive late.
The heavy traffic delayed my arrival.
In this formal sense, 'embarrass' is not used with a person as its object to mean 'cause delay'. Use 'delay' or 'hinder' instead.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four words describe causing someone to feel bad about themselves, but they differ in intensity and focus. 'Embarrass' (B1) is the mildest and most common — it describes the awkwardness of being noticed in an uncomfortable situation, like tripping in public. 'Humiliate' is much stronger; it implies deliberately making someone feel worthless or degraded, often done by another person on purpose. 'Mortify' is a formal, intense word that suggests overwhelming shame or horror, as if the person wishes they could disappear. 'Shame' focuses on moral or social disgrace — a sense that the person has done something wrong or dishonourable. Compare: 'My boss embarrassed me by pointing out my typo' (mild awkwardness) vs 'My boss humiliated me by yelling at me in front of everyone' (deliberate degradation).

humiliate ↗mortify ↗shame ↗embarrass ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • embarrass someone in public
  • embarrass someone in front of other people
  • easily embarrassed

Prepositions

  • by
  • in front of

Etymology

ItalianFrenchEnglish

The word 'embarrass' entered English in the 1600s from French 'embarrasser', meaning 'to block' or 'to obstruct'. The French word came from Italian 'imbarrazzo', which referred to a bar or barrier across a road. The original physical meaning of blocking movement survives in the less common sense (sense 2) of hindering plans or progress. By the 1700s, the word had developed a metaphorical meaning: being socially 'blocked' or trapped in an awkward situation, which became the modern emotional sense (sense 1).