red-faced

red-faced — adjective

1. having a face that has become red, usually because you feel embarrassed, ashamed

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

having a face that has become red, usually because you feel embarrassed, ashamed, or very annoyed about something that has happened.

Example

Rachid went red-faced when the waiter brought out the wrong main course for his date.

predicative use with 'go + red-faced'

The politician's red-faced apology was broadcast on every news channel that evening.

attributive use before a noun

Common collocations
  • red-faced apology
  • red-faced silence
  • go red-faced
  • turn red-faced
  • red-faced with embarrassment
  • red-faced with anger
  • red-faced with shame
Synonyms
  • embarrassed

    focuses on the feeling rather than the physical redness

  • blushing

    specifically describes cheeks turning pink or red, often from shyness or praise

  • shamefaced

    emphasises a lowered gaze and guilty expression, not just redness

  • mortified

    a stronger, more intense version meaning extremely embarrassed

Antonyms
  • composed

    calm and in control of emotions, with no visible embarrassment

  • unashamed

    not feeling any embarrassment or guilt

Grammar Patterns

go + red-faced

turn + red-faced

red-faced + noun

Usage Note

Frequently appears with linking verbs such as 'go', 'turn', and 'become' (predicative), or directly before a noun as a modifier (attributive). The cause of the reaction is often made explicit with a prepositional phrase beginning with 'with' or a 'when'-clause.

Common Mistakes

She was red-faced by embarrassment.
She was red-faced with embarrassment.
the correct preposition is 'with', not 'by'.
He felt red-faced and shy.
He went red-faced and shy.
'red-faced' is an observable physical state, not an internal feeling; use 'go' or 'turn' rather than 'feel'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe a reaction to an awkward or humiliating situation, but they differ in focus and intensity. 'Embarrassed' is the most general term — it names the feeling without any implication of physical change. 'Blushing' is narrower and more physical: it specifically means the cheeks turn pink or red, often from shyness or receiving attention rather than from shame. 'Shamefaced' adds a moral dimension — it suggests the person knows they have done wrong and shows it through a lowered gaze and guilty posture. 'Mortified' is the strongest: it means extremely embarrassed, almost as if one wishes to disappear. For example: 'Caleb felt embarrassed when his phone rang in the library'; 'Sirin blushed when the whole class sang her happy birthday'; 'The shamed student gave a shamefaced apology for copying his friend's work'; 'João was mortified when he realised he had been talking to the wrong person for five minutes.'

embarrassed ↗blushingshamefacedmortified

Common collocations

Nouns

Verbs

Phrases

  • red-faced with embarrassment
  • red-faced with anger
  • red-faced with shame

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishProto-GermanicOld FrenchLatinEnglish

A compound formed in English from 'red' (which comes from Old English rēad, from Proto-Germanic rauthaz) and 'faced' (from 'face', which entered English through Old French face, from Latin facies meaning 'appearance' or 'form'). The combination has been used since the 1600s to describe someone whose face turns red from strong emotion.