em ‧ bar ‧ rassed S3 /ɪmˈbærəst/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Word Family: adjective : ↑ embarrassed , ↑ embarrassing ; verb : ↑ embarrass ; noun : ↑ embarrassment ; adverb : ↑ embarrassingly ]
1 . feeling uncomfortable or nervous and worrying about what people think of you, for example because you have made a silly mistake, or because you have to talk or sing in public:
Lori gets embarrassed if we ask her to sing.
He looked embarrassed when I asked him where he’d been.
very/deeply/highly/acutely embarrassed
Michelle was acutely embarrassed (=very embarrassed) at having to ask for money.
embarrassed smile/laugh/grin etc
Ken gave her an embarrassed grin.
There was an embarrassed silence.
embarrassed to do something
He was embarrassed to admit making a mistake.
embarrassed about/at
I felt embarrassed about how untidy the house was.
2 . financially embarrassed having no money or having debts
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COLLOCATIONS
■ adverbs
▪ terribly/deeply embarrassed (=very embarrassed)
I was deeply embarrassed to see my mother arrive in a very short skirt.
▪ acutely/highly embarrassed (=extremely embarrassed)
The government must be acutely embarrassed by the minister’s behaviour.
▪ slightly/a little embarrassed
Tom looked slightly embarrassed when his name was called out.
▪ somewhat embarrassed (=slightly embarrassed)
His family seemed somewhat embarrassed to be there.
▪ clearly/obviously embarrassed (=in a way that is obvious to other people)
He was clearly embarrassed about what had happened.
■ verbs
▪ feel embarrassed
I felt embarrassed that he had seen me cry.
▪ seem/look/sound embarrassed
The judge seemed embarrassed to be asking her such personal questions.
▪ get/become embarrassed
Sometimes I get embarrassed, and I start to stutter.
■ nouns
▪ an embarrassed silence
There was an embarrassed silence, then Gina laughed loudly.
▪ an embarrassed smile/laugh/grin
Lucy gave an embarrassed smile and looked down at her feet.
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THESAURUS
▪ embarrassed feeling uncomfortable or nervous and worrying about what people think of you, for example because you have made a silly mistake, or because you have to talk or sing in public:
I was really embarrassed when I arrived at the party an hour early.
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There’s no need to be embarrassed – you’ve got a lovely voice.
▪ self-conscious embarrassed about your body or the way you look or talk:
Paul had always been self-conscious about his big feet.
▪ uncomfortable unable to relax because you are embarrassed and not sure what to say or do:
There was a long silence and everyone at the table looked uncomfortable.
▪ awkward /ˈɔːkwəd $ ˈɒːkwərd/ feeling embarrassed because you are in a situation in which it is difficult to behave naturally:
Teenagers often feel awkward in formal social situations.
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There were some awkward moments when neither of us knew what to say to each other.
▪ sheepish slightly embarrassed because you know that you have done something silly or because you feel a little guilty:
Nigel came in late looking sheepish and apologetic.
▪ red-faced embarrassed or ashamed – used mainly in newspaper reports:
A judge was left red-faced when his mobile phone rang in court.
▪ mortified [not before noun] extremely embarrassed and ashamed because you realize that you have done something very silly or wrong:
He said he was mortified at the way his comments had been reported in the papers.