embarrass

verb

em·​bar·​rass im-ˈber-əs How to pronounce embarrass (audio)
-ˈba-rəs
embarrassed; embarrassing; embarrasses

transitive verb

1
a
: to cause to experience a state of self-conscious distress
bawdy stories embarrassed him
b
: to place in doubt, perplexity, or difficulties
c
: to involve in financial difficulties
2
a
: to hamper the movement of
b
3
: to make intricate : complicate
4
: to impair the activity of (a bodily function) or the function of (a bodily part)
digestion embarrassed by overeating

intransitive verb

: to become anxiously self-conscious
he embarrasses easily
embarrassable adjective

Did you know?

If you’ve ever felt frozen, unable to move, or like a deer in the proverbial headlights when embarrassed by something, then the origins of the verb embarrass will make a great deal of sense. When embarrass first entered English from French in the late 16th century, it was used for the action of hampering or impeding the progress of someone or something—figuratively tying them up. No wonder then that embarrass comes ultimately from the Portuguese verb embaraçar, which adds the prefix em- to the noun baraça, meaning “noose” or “rope.” This “hampering” sense of embarrass, and others related to restricting, impairing, or burdening of one sort or other, are still in use today, but they’re less common than the “to make someone feel confused and foolish in front of other people” sense is.

Did you know?

Embarrass: Its Spelling and Use

Are you here because you spelled embarrass wrong? Don't be embarrassed.

Instead, remember that the word embarrass got those embarrassing r's and s's from the French: English embarrass comes from the French word embarrasser.

When used as an active verb, embarrass is most often seen in constructions like "x embarrasses/embarrassed me/them." The word is also very commonly used as a passive verb. In such cases, the preposition by is a frequent companion:

Private companies were embarrassed by being shown to co-operate with the American authorities.
The Economist, 12 Nov. 2016

Teenagers are always easily embarrassed by their parents.
— Farley Granger, Include Me Out: My Life from Goldwyn to Broadway, 2007

In that moment, I know I have begun to assign the termites the powers of volition and desire, the experiences of pain and regret. I am embarrassed by this, and dare not mention it to the scientists.
— Duncan Murrell, Harper's, August 2005

People are also regularly embarrassed about something:

His attorney said he was embarrassed about the incident and didn't want anybody to notice him.
— Richard Martin, The Atlantic Monthly, June 2001

Fiction has no reason to be embarrassed about telling the same story again and again, since we all, with infinite variations, live the same story.
— John Simon, The New Republic, 21 Nov. 1983

Sometimes they're embarrassed (or not) on someone's behalf—that is, they're embarrassed for someone:

Nobody ever felt embarrassed for Yoko Ono.
— Bruno Maddox, Spy, November 1996

They're less commonly embarrassed at something:

She would be deeply embarrassed at my admiration, more so at my naming her in print.
— Nancy Harmon Jenkins, The New York Times Magazine, 4 May 1986

His cogent reasoning made me embarrassed at my own first reaction….
—David Greenberg, The New Republic, 14 Nov. 1994

Occasionally, and by some measures increasingly, people are embarrassed of something, as in "They're embarrassed of the way it happened." This use is not yet common in published, edited text and is considered by some to be a mistake.

Choose the Right Synonym for embarrass

embarrass, discomfit, abash, disconcert, rattle mean to distress by confusing or confounding.

embarrass implies some influence that impedes thought, speech, or action.

the question embarrassed her so much she couldn't answer

discomfit implies a hampering or frustrating accompanied by confusion.

hecklers discomfited the speaker

abash presupposes some initial self-confidence that receives a sudden check, producing shyness, shame, or a feeling of inferiority.

abashed by her swift and cutting retort

disconcert implies an upsetting of equanimity or assurance producing uncertainty or hesitancy.

disconcerted by finding so many in attendance

rattle implies an agitation that impairs thought and judgment.

rattled by all the television cameras

Examples of embarrass in a Sentence

Unexpected laughter embarrassed the speaker. She's worried about embarrassing herself in front of such a large audience. I would never do anything to embarrass my family. The protest was staged as a deliberate attempt to embarrass the government.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The Revolution provided a brief scare through a 59th-minute goal from Dor Turgeman, who embarrassed a defender before curling home a spectacular effort, but Inter Miami broke the tie almost immediately after the strike that made the score 2-1. Franco Panizo, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2025 The minor student created memes and posted them on the Instagram account to embarrass and make fun of the students. Alec Johnson, jsonline.com, 1 Oct. 2025 That behavior is embarrassing anywhere, and goes against all of golf etiquette. Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 30 Sep. 2025 That wasn't Carey's first time embarrassing her children. Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 30 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for embarrass

Word History

Etymology

French embarrasser, from Spanish embarazar, from Portuguese embaraçar, from em- (from Latin in-) + baraça noose

First Known Use

1578, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2a

Time Traveler
The first known use of embarrass was in 1578

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Cite this Entry

“Embarrass.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/embarrass. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

embarrass

verb
em·​bar·​rass im-ˈbar-əs How to pronounce embarrass (audio)
1
: to cause to feel self-consciously confused or distressed
unexpected laughter embarrassed the speaker
2
: to restrict the movement of : hinder, impede
3
: to involve in financial difficulties
embarrassingly
-ˈbar-ə-siŋ-lē
adverb

Medical Definition

embarrass

transitive verb
em·​bar·​rass im-ˈbar-əs How to pronounce embarrass (audio)
: to impair the activity of (a bodily function) or the function of (a bodily part)
digestion embarrassed by overeating

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