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

There had been an embarrassing episode in Scotland, again on a golf course, in which Harp had made the gaffe of being overly clingy. — Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2026

But a week ago the Panthers felt like a worrisome bunch, one that got outplayed in an embarrassing 29-14 exhibition loss to Buffalo. — Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 22 Aug. 2026

Verb

Many of the voters of the other political parties have been lending him their support, partly in the hope of embarrassing Farage. — ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026

Anthrax, Sublime, and Red Hot Chili Peppers were easy and often embarrassing examples, but the funky waka-waka guitar sound extended to Rage Against the Machine, Green Jellÿ, and Suicidal Tendencies (and their side project, Infectious Grooves). — Literary Hub, 7 Aug. 2026