emˈbarrassment
B2Neutral to formal
Definition
Meaning
A feeling of self-consciousness, shame, or awkwardness, often caused by a socially uncomfortable situation.
Can also refer to a situation or thing that causes this feeling, or an excess or abundance of something (especially money) that is awkward or difficult to deal with.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The word spans both emotional states (feeling) and causative situations. The 'excess' meaning is more idiomatic and often used in financial contexts.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Spelling: 'embarrassment' (both). Pronunciation: stress patterns and vowel qualities differ slightly. The word is used with similar frequency and meaning in both varieties.
Connotations
Very similar core connotations of social discomfort and shame. No significant difference in connotative range.
Frequency
Equally common in both UK and US English.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
embarrassment at + NP/gerund (embarrassment at his mistake)embarrassment for + NP (embarrassment for the company)embarrassment over + NP (embarrassment over the incident)embarrassment that + clause (embarrassment that she had forgotten)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “an embarrassment of riches”
- “spare someone's blushes (UK, related concept)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
'The accounting error was a major embarrassment for the firm, leading to a loss of investor confidence.'
Academic
'The researcher expressed embarrassment at the methodological flaws discovered in the published study.'
Everyday
'I burned the dinner in front of our guests—what an embarrassment!'
Technical
Not typically used in highly technical contexts; more common in social sciences discussing affect or social interaction.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The politician's gaffe embarrassed his entire party.
- Don't embarrass me in front of my colleagues.
American English
- The typo in the report really embarrassed the team.
- She didn't want to embarrass her date by correcting him.
adverb
British English
- He smiled embarrassedly and looked at his feet.
- She laughed embarrassedly at her own mistake.
American English
- He admitted embarrassedly that he had lost the keys.
- She glanced around embarrassedly after the loud noise.
adjective
British English
- He gave an embarrassed smile after tripping on the step.
- The embarrassed official quickly left the stage.
American English
- She felt embarrassed about forgetting his name.
- An embarrassed silence fell over the room.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- He went red with embarrassment.
- I felt a lot of embarrassment when I fell down.
- Forgetting the client's name was a real embarrassment during the meeting.
- To avoid embarrassment, she rehearsed her speech many times.
- The minister's resignation was prompted by acute embarrassment over the leaked emails.
- The team's poor performance has become an embarrassment to the whole university.
- The corporation's embarrassment of riches made its recent layoffs seem particularly callous.
- His faux pas caused not just personal mortification but considerable diplomatic embarrassment.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine someone turning RED and saying 'ARR!' like a pirate because they are so EMBARRassed. The double R and double S in the spelling can be remembered: 'Really Red, So Shamed' (RR, SS).
Conceptual Metaphor
EMBARRASSMENT IS A PHYSICAL BURDEN/WEIGHT ('weighed down by embarrassment'), EMBARRASSMENT IS HEAT ('burning with embarrassment'), EMBARRASSMENT IS VISIBILITY ('I wanted the ground to swallow me up').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid directly translating 'замешательство' (confusion/perplexity) as 'embarrassment'. English 'embarrassment' is closer to 'смущение' or 'неловкость'.
- The Russian word 'конфуз' is a close equivalent but is less formal and common.
Common Mistakes
- Misspelling: 'embarassment' (one 'r'), 'embarrasment' (one 's').
- Confusing with 'embarrass' (verb).
- Overusing in contexts where 'shyness' or 'nervousness' is more appropriate.
Practice
Quiz
Which of the following best describes the idiomatic phrase 'an embarrassment of riches'?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
The correct spelling is 'embarrassment' with two 'r's and two 's's.
'Embarrassment' is typically a milder, more social feeling of awkwardness, often due to a minor social mistake. 'Shame' is a deeper, more moral feeling of guilt or unworthiness, often related to a violation of ethical standards.
Rarely in its core meaning. However, in the idiom 'an embarrassment of riches', it refers to an almost problematic abundance of good things, which is a positive situation described with a negative-sounding word.
The verb is 'to embarrass'. It is a transitive verb (needs an object) meaning to cause someone to feel embarrassed. E.g., 'His loud comment embarrassed her.'