Nearby Words
verb (used with object)
1.
to cause confusion and shame to; make uncomfortably self-conscious; disconcert; abash: His bad table manners embarrassed her.
2.
to make difficult or intricate, as a question or problem; complicate.
3.
to put obstacles or difficulties in the way of; impede: The motion was advanced in order to embarrass the progress of the bill.
4.
to beset with financial difficulties; burden with debt: The decline in sales embarrassed the company.
verb (used without object)
5.
to become disconcerted, abashed, or confused.
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Embarrassing
is always a great word to know.
So is slumgullion. Does it mean:
| a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc. |
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
Origin:
1665–75; < French embarrasser < Spanish embarazar < Portuguese embaraçar, equivalent to em- em-1 + -baraçar, verbal derivative of baraço, baraça cord, strap, noose (of obscure origin)
1665–75; < French embarrasser < Spanish embarazar < Portuguese embaraçar, equivalent to em- em-1 + -baraçar, verbal derivative of baraço, baraça cord, strap, noose (of obscure origin)
Related forms
em·bar·rass·ing·ly, adverb
pre·em·bar·rass, verb (used with object)
un·em·bar·rassed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To embarrassing
Example Sentences
- There was a time when embarrassing talents were a purely private matter.
- Her way of confiding in me is embarrassing and almost painful.
- It may also be a little embarrassing to win such mainstream acceptance.
Collins
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
embarrass
1670s, "perplex, throw into doubt," from Fr. embarrasser, lit. "to block," from embarras "obstacle," from It. imbarrazzo, from imbarrare "to bar," from in- "into, upon" + V.L. *barra "bar." Meaning "make (someone) feel awkward" first recorded 1828. Original sense preserved in embarras de richesse (1751),
EXPANDfrom French (1726), the condition of having more wealth than one knows what to do with. Related: Embarrassing.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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