embarrass

embarrass

/ɪmˈbærəs/

1 ​to make somebody feel shy, uncomfortable or ashamed, especially in a social situation

embarrass somebody Her questions about my private life embarrassed me.

I didn't want to embarrass him by kissing him in front of his friends.

it embarrasses somebody to do something It embarrassed her to meet strange men in the corridor at night.

2 ​embarrass somebody to cause problems or difficulties for somebody

The speech was deliberately designed to embarrass the prime minister.

The scandal has totally embarrassed cricket's governing body.

Word Origin

early 17th cent. (originally in the sense ‘to hamper’ or ‘impede (a person or action)’): from French embarrasser, from Spanish embarazar, probably from Portuguese embaraçar (from baraço ‘halter’).

e.g.