Synonyms of embarrassing

embarrassing 1 of 2

adjective

im-ˈber-ə-siŋ 

as in uncomfortable

causing embarrassment

an embarrassing failure of memory inauspiciously marked my first appearance as an actor

Synonyms & Similar Words

• uncomfortable
• awkward
• unpleasant
• difficult
• confusing
• disturbing
• disconcerting
• humiliating
• discomfiting
• impossible
• troublesome
• flustering
• inconvenient
• intolerable
• unwieldy
• disagreeable
• unsettling
• demeaning
• humbling
• degrading
• mortifying
• debasing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• convenient
• comfortable
• agreeable
• pleasing

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• confusing
• mortifying
• disconcerting
• flustering
• rattling
• disturbing
• bothering
• upsetting
• discomfiting
• humiliating
• unsettling
• distressing
• confounding
• nonplussing
• discountenancing
• discomforting
• disquieting
• abashing
• perturbing
• fazing
• dismaying
• humbling
• shaming
• agitating
• degrading
• unhinging
• demeaning
• debasing
• putting off
• discomposing
• chagrining
• putting out
• queering

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• relieving
• comforting
• soothing
• consoling
• encouraging
• calming
• cheering
• reassuring
• assuring
• emboldening
• heartening
• buoying

2

as in hampering

to create difficulty for the work or activity of

a lot of this paperwork is unnecessary and just embarrasses the organization

Synonyms & Similar Words

• hampering
• impeding
• hindering
• obstructing
• handicapping
• inhibiting
• delaying
• blocking
• cramping
• interfering (with)
• frustrating
• stymieing
• clogging
• encumbering
• hobbling
• disrupting
• holding back
• tying up
• restraining
• handcuffing
• shackling
• constraining
• fettering
• short-circuiting
• manacling
• hog-tying
• stifling
• thwarting
• baffling
• tying
• giving a hard time
• curbing
• cramping one's style
• balking
• checking
• trammeling
• binding
• reining
• braking
• holding up
• choking
• arresting
• retarding
• retaining
• tethering
• bogging (down)
• strangling
• suffocating
• sabotaging
• leashing
• roadblocking
• barricading
• derailing
• haltering
• chaining
• confining
• smothering
• blockading
• miring
• foiling
• stumping
• muzzling
• repressing
• suppressing
• hedging (in)
• hemming (in)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• helping
• assisting
• facilitating
• aiding
• opening
• clearing
• liberating
• freeing
• releasing
• encouraging
• promoting
• unstopping
• smoothing
• loosening
• making way
• unplugging
• unclogging
• furthering
• untying

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• complicating
• perplexing
• confusing
• intensifying
• complexing
• complexifying
• entangling
• sophisticating
• elaborating
• expanding
• developing
• muddling
• confounding
• snarling
• mixing (up)
• magnifying
• tangling
• messing (up)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• simplifying
• streamlining
• cutting
• shortening
• facilitating
• easing
• unraveling
• straightening (out)
• abbreviating
• disentangling
• untangling
• oversimplifying

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of embarrassing

Adjective

Facing an embarrassing breach, the FBI is sending its own message to the hacking gang responsible, ShinyHunters, claiming federal investigators are closing in on them. — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 29 Sep. 2026

In any event, Florio’s latest blog calling for the Giants to work out Kaepernick is embarrassing. — Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 23 Sep. 2026

Verb

Of course, there’s something infantilizing, even embarrassing about being lost. — Ross Kenneth Urken, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Aug. 2026

After publicly declaring her love for the Nacho Libre actor in a 2024 interview with The Tonight Show, the Sentimental Value actress feels badly about potentially embarrassing her celebrity crush, according to her sister, Dakota Fanning. — Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Aug. 2026