self-consciousˌself-ˈconscious adjective 
Examples
Jerry’s pretty self-conscious about his weight.► see thesaurus at embarrassed, shy2self-conscious art, writing etc shows that the artist etc is paying too much attention to how the public will react to their work—self-consciously adverb: The boys posed rather self-consciously for the photo.—self-consciousness noun [uncountable]
ExamplesEXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
Thesaurus- "I've never drunk wine before," I said, suddenly self-conscious.
- Her diary was written in a strangely self-conscious style.
- I always feel really self-conscious in a bikini.
- Teenagers are often very self-conscious about their appearance.
- A self-conscious orphan, she took emotional refuge in social form and social skills.
- At first, there were faint murmurings, barely audible even within the row, and self-conscious answers from the team leader.
- He wore nothing except shorts, and was unlike the head of Nefertiti in that he was self-conscious.
- However, be careful of creating self-conscious metaphors and similes.
- It has to be closely supervised but provides a good job for any adult who might be feeling somewhat self-conscious.
- Mary had provoked sensations of his childhood; one of them was this womb-echoing self-conscious snugness indoors, safe from outside turbulence.
- The superintendent divined from the self-conscious way he carried himself that Hebden wished he had.
THESAURUS► embarrassed
1worried and embarrassed about what you look like or what other people think of youself-conscious about feeling uncomfortable or nervous and worrying about what people think of you, for example because you have made a silly mistake, or because you have to talk or sing in public: · I was really embarrassed when I arrived at the party an hour early.· There’s no need to be embarrassed – you’ve got a lovely voice.
► self-conscious embarrassed about your body or the way you look or talk: · Paul had always been self-conscious about his big feet.
► uncomfortable unable to relax because you are embarrassed and not sure what to say or do: · There was a long silence and everyone at the table looked uncomfortable.
► awkward feeling embarrassed because you are in a situation in which it is difficult to behave naturally: · Teenagers often feel awkward in formal social situations.· There were some awkward moments when neither of us knew what to say to each other.
► sheepish slightly embarrassed because you know that you have done something silly or because you feel a little guilty: · Nigel came in late looking sheepish and apologetic.
► red-faced embarrassed or ashamed – used mainly in newspaper reports: · A judge was left red-faced when his mobile phone rang in court.
► mortified [not before noun] extremely embarrassed and ashamed because you realize that you have done something very silly or wrong: · He said he was mortified at the way his comments had been reported in the papers.
► bashful shy and not willing to say very much
► self-conscious worried and embarrassed about what you look like or what other people think of you
► timid not brave or confident
► reserved not liking to express your emotions or talk about your problems
► introverted thinking a lot about your own interests, problems etc, and not liking to be with other people
► withdrawn quiet and not wanting to talk to other people, especially because you are unhappy
► antisocial not liking to meet people and talk to them
► retiring formal not wanting to be with other people
Longman Language Activatorwords meaning embarrassed► 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.
► self-conscious 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.
► uncomfortable 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
► awkward 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.
► sheepish 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.
► mortified 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.
► squirm 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.
► I could have died/I almost died 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.
► egg on your face 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.
Jerry’s pretty self-conscious about his weight.► see thesaurus at embarrassed, shy2self-conscious art, writing etc shows that the artist etc is paying too much attention to how the public will react to their work—self-consciously adverb: The boys posed rather self-consciously for the photo.—self-consciousness noun [uncountable]