embarrassment
feeling of shame or awkwardness
A bad feeling of being shy, stupid, or ashamed in front of other people.
to feel [embarrassment] about [something]
- She could not hide her embarrassment when everyone started singing happy birthday to her.
- His voice shook with embarrassment as he tried to explain the mistake.
- To my great embarrassment, I realized I had been calling her by the wrong name for months.
- He turned red with embarrassment when his parents showed baby photos to his friends.
- The interviewer's personal question caused visible embarrassment on the candidate's face.
- I felt strong embarrassment when I fell in front of the class.
- Her face was red with embarrassment after she forgot her lines.
- To my embarrassment, I arrived at the party an hour early.
- He laughed to hide his embarrassment.
- She looked down in embarrassment and did not say anything.
person or thing causing shame
A person, thing, or situation that makes people feel ashamed or look bad.
[something] is an embarrassment to [someone/group]
- The scandal quickly became a major political embarrassment for the government.
- His rude jokes at the dinner table were an embarrassment to the whole family.
- The broken public transport system is a national embarrassment.
- The outdated website is an embarrassment to a company that calls itself innovative.
- She felt like an embarrassment to her team after missing the winning shot.
- His behavior at the party was an embarrassment to his parents.
- The old, dirty stadium is an embarrassment to the city.
- The failed project is a big embarrassment for the company.
- He thinks his car is an embarrassment because it is so old.
- The spelling mistakes on the sign are an embarrassment to the school.
state of financial difficulty
A money problem, when a person or company does not have enough money to pay bills or debts.
in [financial] embarrassment
- The charity fell into financial embarrassment after several large donors withdrew their support.
- Rising costs left many households in serious embarrassment by the end of the year.
- The company admitted to a period of financial embarrassment but insisted it would avoid bankruptcy.
- A sudden medical emergency can quickly cause financial embarrassment for low-income families.
- He borrowed money from friends to avoid public embarrassment about his financial situation.
- The small shop closed because of financial embarrassment.
- After losing her job, she was in financial embarrassment.
- Many students are in financial embarrassment because of high rent.
- The restaurant is in financial embarrassment and may close soon.
- The family’s hospital bills caused financial embarrassment.
- Base: embarrassment
- Plural: embarrassment, embarrassments
an embarrassment of riches
1too many good things to choose
A situation where you have more good choices or good things than you need, so it is hard to decide what to choose.
- With three excellent job offers, she found herself facing an embarrassment of riches.
- The city has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to museums and art galleries.
- Publishers now have an embarrassment of riches in new fantasy novels to choose from.
die of embarrassment
1feel extremely embarrassed
To feel extremely embarrassed, in a very strong or funny way (not really die).
- I thought I would die of embarrassment when my phone rang loudly in the middle of the concert.
- She nearly died of embarrassment when her parents started dancing at the school party.
- He said he would die of embarrassment if the teacher read his message out loud.
financial embarrassment
1state of money difficulties
A formal way to say that a person, company, or group has money problems and cannot easily pay what they need to pay.
- The charity’s financial embarrassment forced it to cut several important programs.
- They admitted to a period of financial embarrassment after sales dropped sharply.
- The report warned that many households were on the edge of financial embarrassment.
to someone's embarrassment
1in a way that embarrasses someone
Used to say that something made a person feel embarrassed.
- To my embarrassment, I realized I was in the wrong meeting room.
- To his embarrassment, the video of his speech was shared online.
- To their embarrassment, they discovered they had been pronouncing the client’s name wrong for years.