embarrass
gb/ɪmbˈɛɹəs/ us/ɪmbˈɛɹəs/
B1
Anglais
~ 1100
Sens
0 sens
Verbe
B1
action
1
Make someone feel awkward or ashamed
To make someone feel bad or shy in front of other people.
Schéma d’usage :
to embarrass [someone]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes confuse 'embarrass' with 'embrace' because they look similar but have completely different meanings.
Synonymes
humiliate (Stronger and more negative; implies causing loss of dignity.)
|
mortify (More formal and intense; often used for extreme embarrassment.)
Antonymes
comfort (Helps someone feel relaxed and at ease instead of uncomfortable.)
|
reassure (Makes someone feel less nervous or worried rather than self-conscious.)
Collocations
deeply embarrass
|embarrass badly
|embarrass in public
|embarrass a friend
Thèmes
emotions
|social
|daily life
|relationships
|communication
Exemples
- He didn’t mean to embarrass her during the meeting.
- The comedian’s joke embarrassed several people in the audience.
- She was embarrassed when her phone rang loudly during the ceremony.
Exemples pédagogiques
- I don’t want to embarrass my friend.
- He embarrassed me when he told that story.
- She embarrassed her brother in front of his teacher.
Verbe
B2
action
2
Cause problems or difficulties
To make something difficult for someone.
Schéma d’usage :
to embarrass [someone/something]
Synonymes
hinder (Focuses on slowing progress rather than social discomfort.)
|
inconvenience (Milder; means to cause minor trouble or bother.)
Antonymes
assist (Helps rather than creates problems.)
|
support (Provides help instead of causing trouble.)
Collocations
embarrass the government
|embarrass the company
|embarrass an opponent
Thèmes
problems
|business
|core_vocabulary
|daily_life
Exemples
- The sudden leak of information embarrassed the administration.
- This mistake could embarrass the whole team before the client.
- The scandal embarrassed the company’s leadership.
Exemples pédagogiques
- The news embarrassed the government.
- The error embarrassed the team at work.
- The problem embarrassed the company in front of customers.
Grammaire
Forme canonique
embarrass
API
GB/ɪmbˈɛɹəs/
US/ɪmbˈɛɹəs/
Syllabes et accentuation
em - bar - rass (3 syllabes)
Stress on 2nd syllable (bar)
Formes du mot
Verb
- Base: embarrass
- 3rd Person Singular: embarrasses
- Present Participle: embarrassing
- Past: embarrassed
Famille de mots
Forms
Core family
embarrassment
noun B1
Related words
embarrassingly
adverb
Negative and opposite forms
unembarrassed
adjective
Expressions
embarrass oneself
1/ɪmbˈɛɹəs wˌʌnsˈɛlf/
fixed phrase
Make yourself look foolish or awkward
To do something that makes you feel bad or shy in front of others.
Exemples
- He embarrassed himself by singing off-key.
- I hope I don’t embarrass myself during the speech.
be embarrassed about
1/bˈi ɪmbˈɛɹəst əbˈaʊt/
fixed phrase
Feel ashamed about something
To feel bad or shy because of something you did or have.
Exemples
- She was embarrassed about her poor performance.
- She is embarrassed about her accent when she speaks English.
- I’m embarrassed about forgetting his name.
- I was embarrassed about the mistake in my email to my boss.