Synonyms for embarrass
ɛmˈbær əsem·bar·rass

WiktionaryRate these synonyms:3.0 / 2 votes

1. embarrassverb

   to humiliate; to disrupt somebody's composure or comfort with acting publicly or freely; to disconcert; to abash

   The crowd's laughter and jeers embarrassed him.

   Synonyms:
   discomfit, humiliate, shame, disconcert, abash

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:4.0 / 1 vote

1. embarrass

   Any sense of inferiority abashes, with or without the sense of wrong. The poor are abashed at the splendor of wealth, the ignorant at the learning of the wise. "I might have been abashed by their authority." Gladstone Homeric Synchron., p. 72. [Harper & Bros. '76.] To confuse is to bring into a state of mental bewilderment; to confound is to overwhelm the mental faculties; to daunt is to subject to a certain degree of fear. Embarrass is a strong word, signifying primarily hamper, hinder, impede. A solitary thinker may be confused by some difficulty in a subject, or some mental defect; one is embarrassed in the presence of others, and because of their presence. Confusion is of the intellect, embarrassment of the feelings. A witness may be embarrassed by annoying personalities, so as to become confused in statements. To mortify a person is to bring upon him a painful sense of humiliation, whether because of his own or another's fault or failure. A pupil is confused by a perplexing question, a general confounded by overwhelming defeat. A hostess is discomposed by the tardiness of guests, a speaker disconcerted by a failure of memory. The criminal who is not abashed at detection may be daunted by the officer's weapon. Sudden joy may bewilder, but will not abash. The true worshiper is humbled rather than abashed before God. The parent is mortified by the child's rudeness, the child abashed at the parent's reproof. The embarrassed speaker finds it difficult to proceed. The mob is overawed by the military, the hypocrite shamed by exposure. "A man whom no denial, no scorn could abash." Fielding Amelia bk. iii, ch. 9, p. 300. [Bell & Sons '71.] Compare CHAGRIN; HINDER.

   Synonyms:
   abash, bewilder, chagrin, confound, confuse, daunt, discompose, disconcert, dishearten, humble, humiliate, mortify, overawe, shame

   Antonyms:
   animate, buoy, cheer, embolden, encourage, inspirit, rally, uphold

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:5.0 / 1 vote

1. embarrass

   Synonyms:
   entangle, misconcert, trouble, perplex, contuse, hamper, clog, distress, puzzle, encumber

   Antonyms:
   extricate, liberate, expedite, facilitate, accelerate, assist, disencumber

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:5.0 / 1 vote

1. embarrass, abashverb

   cause to be embarrassed; cause to feel self-conscious

   Synonyms:
   stymy, stymie, hinder, block, obstruct, blockade, abash

2. obstruct, blockade, block, hinder, stymie, stymy, embarrassverb

   hinder or prevent the progress or accomplishment of

   "His brother blocked him at every turn"

   Synonyms:
   block up, lug, immobilize, seal off, obturate, handicap, jam, block off, close up, blank out, freeze, abash, obstruct, deflect, parry, kibosh, draw a blank, hamper, hinder, impede, block, forget, stop, stuff, stymy, blockade, immobilise, bar, occlude, barricade, halt, choke up, stymie

Matched Categories

1. • Prevent
   • Upset

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. embarrassverb

   Synonyms:
   perplex, entangle, beset, make intricate, make difficult

2. embarrassverb

   Synonyms:
   harass, distress, trouble, vex, annoy, plague, hamper, clog

3. embarrassverb

   Synonyms:
   confuse, disconcert, confound, nonplus, pose, dumfound, dumfounder

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:1.0 / 1 vote

1. embarrassverb

   Synonyms:
   disconcert, discompose, mortify, abash, chagrin, nonplus, pose, perplex, impede, obstruct, annoy, involve, harass, hamper, incumber

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "embarrass":

   humiliate, shame

How to pronounce embarrass?

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How to use embarrass in a sentence?

1. John Wayne:

   I don't want ever to appear in a film that would embarrass a viewer. A man can take his wife, mother, and his daughter to one of my movies and never be ashamed or embarrassed for going.

2. Joseph Brown:

   We are confident that once all of the facts in this matter are public the hollowness of this criticism will be apparent. It is not the goal of our office to embarrass Walmart. Walmart's behavior in dispensing opioid medication in the middle of a public health crisis should embarrass Walmart.

3. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio:

   I will never embarrass you, i will never do anything that makes you cringe and say ... 'I can't believe that's who we picked.'.

4. Douglas Durst:

   He treated me miserably, he would fight with me at every chance. He would embarrass me.

5. Meghan Markle:

   As much as I love and respect Meg, she’s got security and a publicist and can be protected from all that, she and Harry can tell the media to stop. The rest of the family doesn’t have that luxury. I love her, [but] she may not want me saying anything. I refuse to be a victim of the media. I’m not going to let them disparage me, embarrass me personally and professionally and not defend myself…. I can only hope she would respect and understand that… In fact, if I were Meg, I would probably put something out there so that there was some sort of protective mechanism in place where the family couldn’t be tortured as much.