embarrassing en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
- /ɪmˈbæɹ.ə.sɪŋ/ (Australia, Received-Pronunciation)
- /ɪmˈbæɹ.ə.sɪŋ/ (General-American) without the Mary–marry–merry merger
- (Southern-England) audio
- /ɪmˈbɛɹ.ə.sɪŋ/ General American, Mary–marry–merry merger
Etymology
By surface analysis, embarrass + -ing.
Meanings
-
Causing embarrassment; leading to a feeling of uncomfortable shame or self-consciousness.
In a famously embarrassing incident in 1996, America Online's errant dirty-word filter prevented residents of the British town Scunthorpe from signing up as new customers.
2004 April 23, Declan McCullagh, “Google's chastity belt too tight”, in CNET, archived from the original on 16 Jun 2011:The story struck the depressingly familiar note with which true stories ring in the tried ears of experienced policemen. No one queried it. It was in the classic pattern of human weakness, mean and embarrassing and sad.
1963, Margery Allingham, “Eye Witness”, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC, page 249:“Barack Obama wrote the Epstein files? LOL. This is outright embarrassing,” Candace Owens wrote on X.
2025 July 16, Ryan Bort and Asawin Suebsaeng, quoting Candace Owens, “Trump calls Epstein conspiracy a ‘hoax’ and turns on Maga ‘weaklings’”, in Rolling Stone, archived from the original on 18 Jul 2025:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| more embarrassing | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| most embarrassing | Degree=Sup | lexicographic |
Deriveds
embarrassingly · unembarrassing · embarrassingness
Synonyms
Translations (52)
ro jenant (causing embarrassment) · hu gáz (causing embarrassment) · nl gênant (causing embarrassment) · it imbarazzante (causing embarrassment) · fr gênant (causing embarrassment) · ja 恥ずかしい (causing embarrassment) · da flov (causing embarrassment) · da pinlig (causing embarrassment) · fi kiusallinen (causing embarrassment) · pt constrangedor (causing embarrassment) · hu ciki (causing embarrassment) · ru затрудни́тельный (causing embarrassment) · de beschämend (causing embarrassment) · cs trapný (causing embarrassment) · el ντροπιαστικός (causing embarrassment) · la difficilis (causing embarrassment) · sa लज्जास्पद (causing embarrassment) · hu kínos (causing embarrassment) · nb pinlig (causing embarrassment) · id memalukan (causing embarrassment) · cmn 令人困窘的 (causing embarrassment) · hi लज्जाजनक (causing embarrassment) · es sonrojante (causing embarrassment) · sv genant (causing embarrassment) · et piinlik (causing embarrassment) · pl żenujący (causing embarrassment) · is vandræðalegur (causing embarrassment) · uk бенте́жний (causing embarrassment) · sv pinsam (causing embarrassment) · fr embarrassant (causing embarrassment) · hu gázos (causing embarrassment) · es embarazoso (causing embarrassment) · fi nolo (causing embarrassment) · pt embaraçoso (causing embarrassment) · la humiliāns (causing embarrassment) · de blamabel (causing embarrassment) · uk утру́днений (causing embarrassment) · sh postiđujući (causing embarrassment) · hu égő (causing embarrassment) · de unangenehm (causing embarrassment) · de bemühend (causing embarrassment) · be бянтэ́жачы (causing embarrassment) · nb flaut (causing embarrassment) · ru смуща́ющий (causing embarrassment) · es bochornoso (causing embarrassment) · cmn 尷尬 /尴尬 (causing embarrassment) · pl krępujący (causing embarrassment) · fi nolostuttava (causing embarrassment) · es abochornante (causing embarrassment) · cmn 好糗的 (causing embarrassment) · de peinlich (causing embarrassment) · es vergonzoso (causing embarrassment)