embarrassing

adjective

em·​bar·​rass·​ing im-ˈber-ə-siŋ How to pronounce embarrassing (audio)
-ˈba-rə-
: causing a feeling of self-conscious confusion and distress : causing embarrassment
an embarrassing error
The official was ever so polite, and ever so sorry, but the rule was strict, and he could not let us in. It was very embarrassing, for many eyes were on us.Mark Twain
embarrassingly adverb
an embarrassingly messy house

Examples of embarrassing in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Trump, on the other hand, could argue the hush money wasn't about the campaign, but instead about sparing his family from embarrassing stories. David Jackson, USA TODAY, 4 May 2024 But without money to amplify the embarrassing story on television, Ms. Brady’s campaign spliced together 11 minutes of network news footage recounting the story on 40,000 VHS tapes and mailed them to addresses on the Delaware voter rolls. Reid J. Epstein, New York Times, 2 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for embarrassing 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'embarrassing.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1778, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of embarrassing was in 1778

Dictionary Entries Near embarrassing

Cite this Entry

“Embarrassing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/embarrassing. Accessed 7 May. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on embarrassing

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