as in humiliating
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as in embarrassing
to throw into a state of self-conscious distress
was mortified by her children's atrocious manners
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Recent Examples of mortifying
George Caulkin, New York Times, 14 May 2026
And what could be more mortifying than getting lower ratings than your mother?
—Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 7 May 2026
One particularly mortifying episode from the past haunts Hally.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026
Even more fortunately, TJ also has a real, if mortifying, alibi.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 12 Dec. 2025
The answer might be a mortifying surprise.
—The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Oct. 2025
The mortifying moment comes at a time when international tourism continues to rebound strongly despite global uncertainty.
—Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
What feels energizing to one person can feel mortifying to another.
—Benjamin Laker, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025
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
The graduation ceremony and the reception afterward are cute and heartwarming for the grown-ups, bittersweet and mortifying for the kids, who skive off to smoke some of Ed’s high-test weed and have a little Texas Forever moment, toasting their enduring friendships.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 27 Mar. 2026
Classmates saw the sign while riding by Goepper’s home on the school bus, mortifying the teenage Goepper.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 18 Feb. 2026
Ursula Lindsey The Norwegian writer Vigdis Hjorth has a gift for depicting painful, confusing, and mortifying relationships.
—Joanna Walsh, The New York Review of Books, 15 Nov. 2025
And that display from our fans was mortifying.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
The second, a 2-1 home defeat, was mortifying.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 14 May 2026
And what could be more mortifying than getting lower ratings than your mother?
—Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 7 May 2026
One particularly mortifying episode from the past haunts Hally.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026
Even more fortunately, TJ also has a real, if mortifying, alibi.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 12 Dec. 2025
The answer might be a mortifying surprise.
—The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Oct. 2025
The mortifying moment comes at a time when international tourism continues to rebound strongly despite global uncertainty.
—Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
What feels energizing to one person can feel mortifying to another.
—Benjamin Laker, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025
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
The graduation ceremony and the reception afterward are cute and heartwarming for the grown-ups, bittersweet and mortifying for the kids, who skive off to smoke some of Ed’s high-test weed and have a little Texas Forever moment, toasting their enduring friendships.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 27 Mar. 2026
Classmates saw the sign while riding by Goepper’s home on the school bus, mortifying the teenage Goepper.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 18 Feb. 2026
Ursula Lindsey The Norwegian writer Vigdis Hjorth has a gift for depicting painful, confusing, and mortifying relationships.
—Joanna Walsh, The New York Review of Books, 15 Nov. 2025
And that display from our fans was mortifying.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 30 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mortifying
Adjective
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The existence of an understanding, with humiliating terms for America, is a heap of symbolic and emotional capital that no Iranian regime has enjoyed since the Islamic Revolution of 1979.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
18 June 2026
-
Still, a 0-0 draw against Cape Verde was a humiliating and hugely disappointing result for the Euro 2024 champions.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
Verb
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Then to Sydney Harbour, the very scene of that embarrassing capsize exactly a year earlier, and the Americans won the event outright for a first win since October 2023.—
Andrew Rice,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
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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
Adjective
-
Being on an island starving is very humbling.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Those listeners are the ones who are our backbone, which is very humbling.—
Erik Pedersen,
Oc Register,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The most common mistake is confusing more communication with a better signal.—
Gerald J. Leonard,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
-
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s investigation of the alternative medicine industry uncovered a pattern of practitioners across Georgia pushing legal limits on what they’re allowed to do and presenting confusing information about their credentials.—
Carrie Teegardin,
AJC.com,
17 June 2026
Adjective
-
No one should be subject to listening to the most degrading and profane words that now seem popular with some people.—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
16 June 2026
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According to the company, the electronic attack variant is intended to provide non-kinetic effects on the battlefield by disrupting and degrading enemy sensors and reconnaissance networks.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
14 June 2026
Adjective
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Some women who filed lawsuits against Ortega reported they had been confused about whether demeaning or uncomfortable actions the doctor engaged in during exams was within the bounds of necessary medical behavior.—
Emily Hoerner,
Chicago Tribune,
12 June 2026
-
Some of the women interviewed for the article claimed that Platner could be demeaning to women and, in at least one case, even physically threatening.—
Selina Wang,
ABC News,
7 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mortifying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mortifying. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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