embarrassingem‧bar‧ras‧sing /ɪmˈbærəsɪŋ/ ●●● S3 adjective 
She asked a lot of embarrassing questions. an embarrassing situationembarrassing for This incident is deeply embarrassing for the government.—embarrassingly adverb: an embarrassingly poor performance
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- It was so embarrassing - I couldn't remember his name!
- She asked a lot of embarrassing questions.
- The doctor asked me a lot of embarrassing questions about my sex life.
- The revelations about the President's university life were to prove deeply embarrassing to him.
- And they will continue to be exposed until they become too embarrassing to even mention.
- If discussing mixed messages would be embarrassing, then publicly testing for the validity of these explanations would be even more so.
- They all stood around staring at her and smiling awkwardly, as if she was embarrassing.
- They didn't seem prepared to say anything that might appear embarrassing or gauche later on.
- This has become an annual embarrassing exercise.
Longman Language Activatorwords meaning embarrassed
feeling uncomfortable or shy and worrying about what people think of you, for example because you have made a stupid mistake or because you have to talk about your feelings, about sex etc: · Tony spilled red wine all over their carpet. He was so embarrassed!· The teachers are supposed to teach us about 'safe sex', but most of them are too embarrassed.get/feel embarrassed: · Kids get embarrassed if their Mums kiss them in front of their friends.embarrassed about: · I got very drunk at the party, and I feel really embarrassed about it.embarrassed by/at: · Marlon was always embarrassed by his lack of education.acutely embarrassed (=very embarrassed): · "I'm not sure if I actually want to marry her," Harry said, feeling acutely embarrassed.
shy and embarrassed about your body, or about the way you look or talk: feel self-conscious: · I always feel really self-conscious in a bikini.self-conscious about: · Teenagers are often very self-conscious about their appearance.
feeling embarrassed because you cannot relax with the people around you: · All this talk about love and romance was making me uncomfortable.feel uncomfortable: · Jim always felt uncomfortable on such formal occasions.· an uncomfortable silence
feeling so shy, nervous, and embarrassed that you cannot behave in a natural way: feel awkward: · I didn't know anyone at the party, and I felt really awkward at first.an awkward moment/silence etc (=when you or other people feel awkward): · For one awkward moment I thought I had said something terribly wrong.· Carrie laughed out loud, and there was an awkward silence.
looking or feeling a little embarrassed because you feel guilty about something: · He gave her a sheepish look and said, "I'm very sorry, I forgot it was your birthday."look sheepish: · Debbie arrived late for work looking a bit sheepish.
very shocked, embarrassed, or ashamed because you realize that you have done something wrong, or because of something unpleasant that happens to you: mortified by: · Deaver was mortified by his mistake and immediately admitted that he was wrong.mortified at the thought of something: · Carla felt mortified at the thought of having to repeat another year at school.mortified to find/see etc something: · I was mortified to find that everyone else was wearing evening dress.
to feel extremely embarrassed and uncomfortable because of something stupid that you did or said, or because of something that someone else does: · Whenever I think back to what I said at the party it makes me want to squirm.squirm with embarrassment: · The little boy squirmed with embarrassment when his mother told him off in front of his friends.
spoken say this when you are telling someone about a time when you felt extremely embarrassed: · When I realized that Sally had heard every word I said about her, I could have died.
if someone, especially someone in authority has egg on their face, they have done something wrong or embarrassing in a way that makes them look stupid: · Don't underestimate this club or you'll be left with egg on your face. I've got one of the best squads ever in the Premier League.· The government ended up with egg on its face when it was found to have withheld documents for political purposes.
to make someone feel embarrassed something that is embarrassing makes you feel embarrassed : · It was so embarrassing - I couldn't remember his name!· The doctor asked me a lot of embarrassing questions about my sex life.embarrassing to/for: · The revelations about the President's university life were to prove deeply embarrassing to him.
to make someone feel embarrassed: · I hope I didn't embarrass you in front of your friends.· One woman was trying to embarrass me by asking me questions I couldn't answer.
if a situation or an action causes embarrassment to someone, it makes them feel embarrassed in front of a lot of people: · If you want I'll leave - I don't want to cause any embarrassment.cause somebody embarrassment: · His wife's frequent affairs with other men had caused him acute public embarrassment.cause embarrassment to somebody: · The article was intended to cause the greatest possible embarrassment to the government.
if someone or something is an embarrassment to someone, they make them feel embarrassed or ashamed to be connected with them: · Look at the way he's dressed. It's an embarrassment.be an embarrassment to: · His heavy drinking was an embarrassment to his friends and family.
use this about something that makes you feel extremely embarrassed: · The ambassador opened the gift in front of all his guests - and the box was empty! It was the most excruciating moment of my life.· There followed an excruciating silence that lasted for at least a minute.
the feeling you have when you are embarrassed the feeling you have when you are embarrassed: · He looked down at the floor in an attempt to hide his embarrassment.I almost/nearly died of embarrassment spoken (=a humorous way of saying you felt very embarrassed about something): · She read my poem out to the whole class - I almost died of embarrassment.
when your face goes red because you are embarrassed also go red especially British if you blush or turn red , your face becomes red because you are embarrassed: · As soon as Mark came into the room, she blushed and looked away.· David's really shy - he always turns red when the teacher asks him a question.go/turn as red as a beetroot British (=become very red): · I can't wait to see his face when you tell him - he'll go as red as a beetroot.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY She asked a lot of embarrassing questions. an embarrassing situationCOLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
She asked a lot of embarrassing questions. an embarrassing situation· He left after an embarrassing incident in the bar.
· The media began to ask embarrassing questions about MPs' expenses.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB· What was your most embarrassing situation?· And Shaunagh was there to help him through one of the most embarrassing moments of his life.· To forget the words in the middle of a chant would be most embarrassing.· This is the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to me.· Throwing tantrums Having a toddler thrown a wobbly in public is perhaps one of parenting's most embarrassing episodes.· Apart from anything else, it was the most embarrassing episode in my life.
· Many find it very embarrassing to describe their expectations regarding actual physical technique.· Giving people the good news about themselves is often very embarrassing.· How very embarrassing to say all that in front of everybody.· The risk that payments might exceed existing money holdings for some unforeseen reason could prove very embarrassing.· Although such criticism may well be totally unjustified, if could be very embarrassing.
NOUN· What was your most embarrassing situation?· It was an embarrassing situation, more so for them than for us.· Otherwise she felt certain he'd dismiss the whole embarrassing situation with a careless sneer.· This is acceptable when only the family are around, but when we have guests, embarrassing situations can arise.· If this does happen the interviewer will have a rather embarrassing situation to overcome before going any further.· Reynolds felt gritty and smeared, at an unhappy disadvantage if he should have to lie his way out of an embarrassing situation.
WORD FAMILYadjectiveembarrassedembarrassingnounembarrassmentverbembarrassadverbembarrassingly
making you feel ashamed, nervous, or uncomfortable: She asked a lot of embarrassing questions. an embarrassing situationembarrassing for This incident is deeply embarrassing for the government.—embarrassingly adverb: an embarrassingly poor performance