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

an embarrassing failure of memory inauspiciously marked my first appearance as an actor
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.
Cuomo’s long resume and nostalgic campaign has kept his support steady despite an embarrassing primary defeat by Mamdani. David Weigel, semafor.com, 3 Nov. 2025 The team had lost two straight games, including one of the most embarrassing losses of O’Connell’s tenure to the Chargers in Los Angeles. Alec Lewis, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025 Glen Powell got candid about an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction on the set of his latest movie. Lori A Bashian, FOXNews.com, 2 Nov. 2025 To get back at the cat, the poster shared all of his most embarrassing pictures in post published on Thursday under the username u/ermvarju, which has so far received over 86,000 upvotes and 1,900 comments on the platform. Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for embarrassing

Word History

First Known Use

1778, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of embarrassing was in 1778

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Cite this Entry

“Embarrassing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/embarrassing. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.

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