embarrassing 1 of 2

adjective

im-ˈber-ə-siŋ How to pronounce embarrassing (audio)
Definition of embarrassingnext
as in uncomfortable
causing embarrassment an embarrassing failure of memory inauspiciously marked my first appearance as an actor

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

embarrassing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of embarrass
1
as in confusing
to throw into a state of self-conscious distress the modest young soldiers were embarrassed by the public praise for their heroism

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2
as in impeding
to create difficulty for the work or activity of a lot of this paperwork is unnecessary and just embarrasses the organization

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3
as in complicating
to make complex or difficult claims that the new government regulations will needlessly embarrass the operations of small businesses in the state

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of embarrassing
Adjective
The embarrassing display was especially difficult for the scores of young performers who had been at the show’s lavish world premiere in Los Angeles just weeks before and who had considered the project their big break. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 10 July 2026 The race saw the Republican Lincoln Club’s embarrassing endorsement of Fullerton Mayor Fred Jung, a former Democrat turned No Party Preference who is championing tax increases in his city. — John Seiler, Oc Register, 9 July 2026
Verb
Yet while employees face losing their jobs, ESPN has chosen to reinvest in Dennis, a character who has spent much of the past few years embarrassing the network. — Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 23 June 2026 Lutnick's voluntary closed-door interview comes amid a monthslong procession of powerful people summoned before the committee, many of whom have been subjected to embarrassing revelations in the more than 3 million pages of records known as the Epstein files. — Graham Kates, CBS News, 6 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for embarrassing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for embarrassing
  1. uncomfortable
  2. confusing
  3. impeding
  4. complicating
  5. awkward
  6. mortifying
  7. hampering
  8. perplexing
Adjective
  • No one really wants to keep wearing their stiff, uncomfortable boots after arriving back at camp following a long, challenging day on the trail.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 14 July 2026
  • There are staffers uncomfortable with the politics of the deal, worried that political interference could alter CNN’s coverage in a meaningful way.
    — Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 14 July 2026
Definition of uncomfortable
Verb
  • Indeed, the movie opens with Ed quizzing an older Greek man he’s befriended on the Belgian designer Ann Demeulemeester, before berating him for confusing his Bottega Veneta loafers for Sebago.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 17 July 2026
  • Disenfranchising or, at best, confusing their voters risks their own electoral success, too.
    — SoRelle Wyckoff Gaynor, The Conversation, 17 July 2026
Definition of confusing
Verb
  • These vehicles were blocking and impeding fire operations, and several were non-operational and required tow truck assistance for removal.
    — Jeff Nguyen, CBS News, 1 July 2026
  • Florida’s sanctuary city laws forbid local governments from impeding ICE from doing its job, such as by not sharing information with the federal government.
    — Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 26 June 2026
Definition of impeding
Verb
  • Officials said strong winds, changing tides and notoriously difficult conditions around Alcatraz were complicating the operation.
    — James Ward, USA Today, 15 July 2026
  • Further complicating the process, even the expiration of the Microsoft certificate that signed the shims, which took place late last month, isn’t enough to revoke the ones ESET identified.
    — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 14 July 2026
Definition of complicating
Adjective
  • And having everyone try to speak in English with Greek accents (not that the Greeks 2700 years ago would have sounded like Greeks do today) would have been awkward.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
  • If the process had advanced to a hearing, the Blues would have been put in the awkward position of having to build a case against him.
    — Jeremy Rutherford, New York Times, 16 July 2026
Definition of awkward
Verb
  • Just last year, the Trust for Public Land scored the city way down at 90th out of 100 cities, the kind of mortifying ranking usually occupied in other categories by Mississippi (sorry, Mississippi).
    — Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2026
  • Baby Reindeer was hardly a laugh riot, but mortifying humor is still humor and, with episodic running times in the 30-minute range, the show had a charging, unpredictable momentum.
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 21 Apr. 2026
Definition of mortifying
Verb
  • American regulators’ and politicians’ fear of Chinese tech is hampering business prospects for Chinese flying camera company HOVERAir, its CEO told Semafor.
    — J.D. Capelouto, semafor.com, 14 July 2026
  • Because the injection must then be sent (or pushed) to each specific target, the scale of the attack is limited, hampering mass exploits that hit the Internet at large.
    — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 8 July 2026
Definition of hampering
Verb
  • But there were also perplexing moments that punctured the gravitas of the event (even for an event built around hand-to-hand combat).
    — Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 15 June 2026
  • That none of this has ever been clear to Gisèle is perplexing even to her.
    — Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 20 Feb. 2026
Definition of perplexing

Browse Nearby Words

embarrasses
embarrassing
embarrassment
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Cite this Entry

“Embarrassing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/embarrassing. Accessed 21 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on embarrassing

Nglish: Translation of embarrassing for Spanish Speakers

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