embarrassing
adjective
em·bar·rass·ing
| \ im-ˈber-ə-siŋ
, -ˈba-rə-\
, -ˈba-rə-\
Definition of embarrassing
: causing a feeling of self-conscious confusion and distress : causing embarrassment
an embarrassing error The official was ever so polite, and ever so sorry, but the rule was strict, and he could not let us in. It was very embarrassing, for many eyes were on us.— Mark Twain
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Other Words from embarrassing
embarrassingly
\ im-ˈber-ə-siŋ-lē
, -ˈba-rə- \
adverb
, -ˈba-rə- \
adverb
an embarrassingly messy house
Synonyms for embarrassing
Synonyms
awkward, discomfiting, disconcerting, disturbing, flustering, uncomfortable
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Examples of embarrassing in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The testimony at trial could be very embarrassing for the companies, and the Ohio trials could be much higher visibility. — Ephrat Livni, Quartz, "J&J’s $527 million dollar fine in opioid case doesn’t bode well for Purdue Pharma," 29 Aug. 2019 The president has told senior aides that a failure to deliver on the signature promise of his 2016 campaign would be a letdown to his supporters and an embarrassing defeat. — Nick Miroff, Anchorage Daily News, "Trump offers to pardon aides worried about wrongdoing in push for border wall, officials say," 28 Aug. 2019 What was probably supposed to be a confidence-boosting scrimmage aimed at building chemistry ended up being an embarrassing defeat for the national team. — Andrew Joseph, For The Win, "Team USA was blown out by random G League and overseas players in a scrimmage," 14 Aug. 2019 Alabama basketball needs as much media exposure as possible coming off that embarrassing loss in the NIT to Norfolk State, and subsequent coaching change from Avery Johnson, a sports celebrity, to Oats, an unknown in the South. — Joseph Goodman | [email protected], al.com, "How Alabama’s Nate Oats mastered the transfer portal in this new age of the NCAA," 19 June 2019 On July 25, Sullivan went public about the meeting, prompting denials from Bonnen, followed by the embarrassing news that Sullivan secretly recorded the encounter. — Gilbert Garcia, ExpressNews.com, "Why Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen will never be Joe Straus," 17 Aug. 2019 That was pretty much embarrassing to people who went to school here. — Tim Sullivan, The Courier-Journal, "Louisville football's culture change means accountability and effort are back," 10 Aug. 2019 Getting stuck at the bottom would have been downright embarrassing. — Zachary Lewis, cleveland.com, "’Glute Drive’ dashes first impressions, builds deep strength: Stretching Out," 3 July 2019 Here, Lee talks with T&C about growing up in a famous family, his friendship with Brody Jenner, and his most embarrassing moment on the show so far. — Liz Cantrell, Town & Country, "The Hills: New Beginnings's Brandon Thomas Lee on Growing Up with Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee," 1 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'embarrassing.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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