embarrassing

embarrassing — adjective

1. causing someone to feel uncomfortable, awkward, or ashamed, especially in front

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

causing someone to feel uncomfortable, awkward, or ashamed, especially in front of other people — for example, when you make a social mistake, receive unexpected public attention, or find yourself in an awkward situation.

Example

Ife found it embarrassing when her father told funny childhood stories to her new friends.

find + it + embarrassing + when-clause

The mayor's awkward silence during the live interview created an embarrassing situation for his staff.

embarrassing + noun (situation)

Common collocations
  • embarrassing moment
  • embarrassing situation
  • embarrassing silence
  • embarrassing mistake
  • embarrassing question
  • deeply embarrassing
  • highly embarrassing
  • slightly embarrassing
  • find it embarrassing
  • it is embarrassing to
Synonyms
  • awkward

    suggests inconvenience or social clumsiness rather than shame; milder than embarrassing

  • humiliating

    stronger than embarrassing; implies a loss of dignity or respect, especially when one's weakness is exposed to others

  • mortifying

    much stronger and more formal; describes something so embarrassing it feels almost painful

  • uncomfortable

    focuses on personal unease rather than social judgment; can describe physical discomfort, not just social situations

Antonyms
  • comfortable

    feeling at ease rather than awkward in a social situation

  • dignified

    having or showing a calm, serious sense of self-respect, opposite of the shame in embarrassing

Grammar Patterns

be + embarrassing

find + it + embarrassing + (when-clause / to-infinitive)

embarrassing + noun

it + be + embarrassing + for + person + to-infinitive

Usage Note

Distinguish from embarrassed: embarrassing describes the thing or situation that causes the feeling (an embarrassing mistake), while embarrassed describes the person who feels the feeling (an embarrassed student). Frequently found in the pattern find + it + embarrassing + infinitive or when-clause.

Common Mistakes

I felt very embarrassing when I forgot his name.
I felt very embarrassed when I forgot his name.
Use embarrassed for the feeling; embarrassing describes what causes the feeling.
The meeting was embarrassed for everyone.
The meeting was embarrassing for everyone.
The meeting is the cause, not the person feeling the emotion.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe negative social experiences, but with different strengths and focuses. Awkward suggests clumsiness or inconvenience rather than shame — an awkward pause in conversation is less intense than an embarrassing one. Humiliating is stronger, implying a loss of dignity or public respect when a personal weakness is exposed. Mortifying is the most intense, describing something so embarrassing it feels almost painful or shocking. Uncomfortable focuses on personal unease rather than social judgment — you can feel uncomfortable in a noisy room, but that is not embarrassing at all. For example, tripping on stage is embarrassing, but being told your work is worthless in front of a team is humiliating, and accidentally calling your teacher 'Mom' is mortifying.

awkward ↗humiliatingmortifyinguncomfortable ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • find it embarrassing
  • it is embarrassing to
  • an embarrassing amount of

Prepositions

  • embarrassing for someone

Etymology

ItalianFrenchEnglish

Embarrassing comes from the French verb 'embarrasser', meaning 'to block or obstruct', which in turn came from the Italian 'imbarrazzare', meaning 'to put behind bars'. The original physical sense of being blocked or hindered shifted in the 17th century toward describing social discomfort — like feeling trapped in a difficult or awkward situation. The spelling with double 'r' and double 's' reflects the French origin.