embarrassment
B2Neutral to formal. Common in both written and spoken English.
Definition
Meaning
A feeling of self-consciousness, shame, or awkwardness caused by a socially uncomfortable situation.
1. A state of financial difficulty. 2. An overabundance or superfluity of something, often to an inconvenient degree.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Carries a strong social and emotional component. Can refer to the feeling itself, the cause of the feeling, or a state of overabundance.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Minimal. Spelling is the same. The extended meaning of 'overabundance' (e.g., 'an embarrassment of riches') is equally literary in both varieties.
Connotations
Slightly more formal/understated connotation in British English (e.g., 'a bit of an embarrassment'). American English may use it more directly for strong personal shame.
Frequency
Equally common in both varieties.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
feel ~cause ~be an ~save from ~an ~ of (e.g., riches)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “an embarrassment of riches”
- “spare someone's blushes”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Refers to financial difficulty or a situation damaging to corporate reputation. 'The scandal caused acute embarrassment for the board.'
Academic
Used in psychology/sociology to discuss social emotions and norms. 'Goffman explores the social construction of embarrassment.'
Everyday
Most common for social faux pas and personal feelings. 'I spilled my drink and it was a huge embarrassment.'
Technical
Not typically used in hard sciences. May appear in legal contexts regarding libel or reputational damage.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- His outdated remarks really embarrassed everyone at the dinner.
American English
- The leaked document totally embarrassed the campaign.
adverb
British English
- He smiled embarrassedly and looked at the floor.
American English
- She laughed embarrassedly after realizing her mistake.
adjective
British English
- She gave an embarrassed smile after tripping on the step.
American English
- He looked embarrassed when his mom showed his baby photos.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- He felt embarrassment when he forgot her name.
- The team's poor performance was a huge embarrassment for the coach.
- She managed to answer the difficult question, saving him from further embarrassment.
- The government faced the embarrassment of having its flagship policy declared unlawful.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine someone's BAR (from 'embarr') is ASS (from '-assment')—that would be very EMBARRASSING.
Conceptual Metaphor
EMBARRASSMENT IS HEAT ('burning with shame'), EMBARRASSMENT IS A BURDEN ('weighed down by shame'), EMBARRASSMENT IS BEING EXPOSED ('caught with your pants down').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid direct calque from Russian 'замешательство' (confusion).
- Do not confuse with 'embarrassment' as a state of being blocked (like traffic); use 'obstruction' or 'congestion' instead.
- The English word is stronger and more social than Russian 'неловкость' (awkwardness).
Common Mistakes
- Misspelling: 'embarassment' (one 'r'), 'embarrasment' (one 's').
- Using 'embarrassment' for simple 'mistake' without the emotional/social component.
- Incorrect pronunciation: stressing the first syllable (/ˈɛmbərəsmənt/).
Practice
Quiz
Which of these is NOT a primary meaning of 'embarrassment'?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
The correct spelling is E-M-B-A-R-R-A-S-S-M-E-N-T (double 'r', double 's').
Rarely. The idiom 'an embarrassment of riches' refers to an overabundance of good things, which is positive but can be problematic.
Embarrassment is typically a milder, more social reaction to a minor social blunder. Shame is deeper, involving a feeling of moral failure or disgrace.
It can be both. As a feeling, it is usually uncountable ('a lot of embarrassment'). As an instance or cause, it is countable ('it was an embarrassment').