Synonyms for embarrass
Synonyms by meaning
Verb
1. Humiliate — to disrupt someone's composure or comfort with acting publicly or freely
humiliate, mortify, annoy, demean, confound, put to shame, fluster, bewilder, abash, shame, vex, entrap, perplex, involve, chagrin, entangle, humble, distress, disconcert, plague, puzzle, discomfit
2. Hinder — to hinder from liberty of movement; to impede; to obstruct
hinder, impede, obstruct, hamper, stymie, hobble, encumber, block, clog, shackle, blockade, cumber, fetter, nobble slang
Other
Definitions
- v. 1
To disrupt someone's composure or comfort with acting publicly or freely.
The crowd's laughter and jeers embarrassed him.
- v. 2
To hinder from liberty of movement; to impede; to obstruct.
The motion was advanced in order to embarrass the progress of the bill.
Related words
- Word family
- embarrassingly embarrassing embarrassment
Forms
- Past participle
- embarrassed
e.g. embarrassed → humiliated, mortified, annoyed, demeaned…
Choose the right word
Embarrass is a strong word, signifying primarily hamper, hinder, impede.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- humiliate Yuri didn't want Martha to humiliate him again.
- demean I didn't mean to demean you.
- hinder If you cannot help us, don't at least hinder us.
- impede He has tried to impede an official investigation.
By length
- 3 letters
- vex1
- 4 letters
- clog1
- 5 letters
- block1, shame1, annoy2, abash2
- 6 letters
- humble2, puzzle2, plague1, hinder2, hamper2, impede2, demean2, hobble2, entrap2, stymie2, fetter2, cumber2, nobble
- 7 letters
- involve2, chagrin2, shackle2, perplex2, mortify3, fluster2
- 8 letters
- distress2, blockade2, obstruct2, confound2, entangle3, bewilder3, encumber3
- 9 letters
- humiliate4, discomfit
- 10 letters
- disconcert3
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (annoy2 = 2 syllables).
In other languages
- Français
- embarrasser
- Italiano
- imbarazzare
- Català
- embarassar