Synonyms for embarrassing
- adjective
Most common
Synonyms by meaning
Adjective
1. Awkward
2. Mortifying
mortifying, shameful, disconcerting, distressing, confusing, perplexing
Other
facepalmy slang rare
Definitions
- adj. 1
Causing embarrassment; leading to a feeling of uncomfortable shame or self-consciousness.
Example sentences
- awkward At first the trainees were awkward in his company.
- inconvenient Illness can often occur at a very inconvenient time.
- shameful The love that I suffer from is a shameful disease.
- mortifying It was mortifying. They laughed at me.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| embarrassing | rising | |
| awkward | rising | |
| inconvenient | steady | |
| unenviable | steady | |
| shameful | rising | |
| mortifying | rising |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 4 letters
- hard1
- 6 letters
- sticky2
- 7 letters
- awkward2
- 8 letters
- shameful2
- 9 letters
- confusing3, facepalmy
- 10 letters
- perplexing3, mortifying, unenviable5
- 11 letters
- distressing3
- 12 letters
- inconvenient4
- 13 letters
- disconcerting4
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (sticky2 = 2 syllables).
In other languages
- Français
- embarrassant
- Italiano
- imbarazzante