What does embarrassment mean?

Definitions for embarrassment
ɛmˈbær əs məntem·bar·rass·ment

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word embarrassment.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. embarrassmentnoun

    the shame you feel when your inadequacy or guilt is made public

  2. embarrassmentnoun

    the state of being embarrassed (usually by some financial inadequacy)

    "he is currently suffering financial embarrassments"

  3. embarrassmentnoun

    some event that causes someone to be embarrassed

    "the outcome of the vote was an embarrassment for the liberals"

  4. overplus, plethora, superfluity, embarrassmentnoun

    extreme excess

    "an embarrassment of riches"

Wiktionary

  1. embarrassmentnoun

    A state of discomfort arising from bashfulness or consciousness of having violated a social rule; humiliation.

  2. embarrassmentnoun

    A state of confusion arising from hesitation or difficulty in choosing.

  3. embarrassmentnoun

    A person or thing which is the cause of humiliation to another.

  4. embarrassmentnoun

    Impairment of function due to disease: respiratory embarrassment.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Embarrassmentnoun

    Perplexity; entanglement.

    Etymology: from embarrass.

    Let your method be plain, that your hearers may run through it without embarrassment, and take a clear view of the whole. Isaac Watts, Logick.

Wikipedia

  1. Embarrassment

    Embarrassment or awkwardness is an emotional state that is associated with mild to severe levels of discomfort, and which is usually experienced when someone commits (or thinks of) a socially unacceptable or frowned-upon act that is witnessed by or revealed to others. Frequently grouped with shame and guilt, embarrassment is considered a "self-conscious emotion", and it can have a profoundly negative impact on a person’s thoughts or behavior.Usually, some perception of loss of honor or dignity (or other high-value ideals) is involved, but the embarrassment level and the type depends on the situation.

ChatGPT

  1. embarrassment

    Embarrassment is an emotional state often characterized by feelings of discomfort, awkwardness, or shame, typically caused by one's own actions, behavior, or other unfavorable situations. It's usually experienced when individuals believe they have violated social norms or engaged in activities perceived negatively by others.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Embarrassmentnoun

    a state of being embarrassed; perplexity; impediment to freedom of action; entanglement; hindrance; confusion or discomposure of mind, as from not knowing what to do or to say; disconcertedness

  2. Embarrassmentnoun

    difficulty or perplexity arising from the want of money to pay debts

  3. Etymology: [F. embarrassement.]

Wikidata

  1. Embarrassment

    Embarrassment is an emotional state of intense discomfort with oneself, experienced upon having a socially unacceptable act or condition witnessed by or revealed to others. Usually some amount of loss of honor or dignity is involved, but how much and the type depends on the embarrassing situation. It is similar to shame, except that shame may be experienced for an act known only to oneself. Also, embarrassment usually carries the connotation of being caused by an act that is merely socially unacceptable, rather than morally wrong.

British National Corpus

  1. Nouns Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'embarrassment' in Nouns Frequency: #2452

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

How to pronounce embarrassment?

How to say embarrassment in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of embarrassment in Chaldean Numerology is: 5

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of embarrassment in Pythagorean Numerology is: 4

Examples of embarrassment in a Sentence

  1. Zuri Murrell:

    I always tell individuals and my own patients, you never want to die from fear and you never want to die from embarrassment, it still angers me that this is the number two killer of men and women because it’s really preventable in terms of diet and in terms of getting appropriate screening. It shouldn’t be this way.

  2. Nikki Haley:

    America is retreating – and our enemies are rushing into the gap. We have a total lack of courage and commitment from our commander-in-chief, joe Biden isn’t leading from behind. Joe Biden is sleeping from behind. This year has been one embarrassment after another.

  3. Teruko Nishiguchi:

    If I fall down the stairs, it's embarrassing, i want people to laugh at me so at least we can have fun. But I think Kanto people are too uptight to acknowledge their embarrassment.

  4. Helen Keller:

    Literature is my Utopia. Here I am not disenfranchised. No barrier of the senses shuts me out from the sweet, gracious discourses of my book friends. They talk to me without embarrassment or awkwardness.

  5. President Trump:

    North Korea is a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

embarrassment#10000#23170#100000

Translations for embarrassment

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

  • притеснение, стеснение, объркване, смущениеBulgarian
  • avergonyimentCatalan, Valencian
  • VerlegenheitGerman
  • vergüenzaSpanish
  • kiusaantuneisuus, häpeäpilkku, häpeäksi, nolostuminen, hämmennys, häpeäFinnish
  • (être la) honte (de), embarrasFrench
  • rasa maluIndonesian
  • imbarazzoItalian
  • ته‌ریقیKurdish
  • verlegenheidDutch
  • jenăRomanian
  • затрудне́ние, замеша́тельство, конфу́з, позо́р, поме́ха, позо́рище, смуще́ниеRussian
  • 困窘Chinese

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"embarrassment." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 13 Feb. 2025. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/embarrassment>.

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