EMBARRASSED


Meaning of EMBARRASSED in English

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.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.      Longman - Словарь современного английского языка.