1
as in to confuse
to throw into a state of self-conscious distress
the modest young soldiers were embarrassed by the public praise for their heroism
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to impede
to create difficulty for the work or activity of
a lot of this paperwork is unnecessary and just embarrasses the organization
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to complicate
to make complex or difficult
claims that the new government regulations will needlessly embarrass the operations of small businesses in the state
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of embarrass
If that wasn’t embarrassing enough, then came an ugly post-game brawl that has gone viral on social media all over the world.
—
Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2025
In the moment where Nellie decides to record Laura talking about her crush to embarrass her, Arngrim doesn’t have any dialogue.
—Victoria Edel, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Getty Images The President fired the nation’s top labor statistician because the jobs numbers embarrassed him.
—Teresa Ghilarducci, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Writers hate to be embarrassed by their own ignorance.
—Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for embarrass
Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2025
In the moment where Nellie decides to record Laura talking about her crush to embarrass her, Arngrim doesn’t have any dialogue.
—Victoria Edel, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Getty Images The President fired the nation’s top labor statistician because the jobs numbers embarrassed him.
—Teresa Ghilarducci, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Writers hate to be embarrassed by their own ignorance.
—Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for embarrass
Recent Examples of Synonyms for embarrass
Verb
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Yes, God confuses the language and scatters everyone, thereby creating linguistic and cultural diversity.—
John Fugelsang
September 12,
Literary Hub,
12 Sep. 2025
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At one point, O’Steen was confused by a question, and the resulting back-and-forth was reminiscent of an Abbott and Costello repartee.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Miami goalkeeper Oscar Ustari was issued a red card in the 38th minute for impeding Charlotte’s Wilfried Zaha in the box.—
Michelle Kaufman,
Miami Herald,
12 Sep. 2025
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The university has also cracked down on chalking on campus sidewalks, which critics say impedes the free speech rights of students.—
Chris Quintana,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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During this time of year, tropical activity tends to develop in the Caribbean or Gulf, rather than near Africa, which also complicates response efforts, Francis said.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
10 Sep. 2025
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However, the current crop of general-purpose humanoids tends to target moderate loads, similar to an average person, because higher payloads complicate balance and actuator sizing.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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McCarthy was having some trouble doing so to start this game, as the Bears’ defense, led by new coordinator Dennis Allen, was drawing up the right pressures to fluster the young signal caller.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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But Brozena was not flustered, winning 16 and 18 to end the match.—
Boston Herald staff,
Boston Herald,
15 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The share of businesses saying that lack of transparency was hindering operations fell by 12 percentage points to 16%.—
Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
10 Sep. 2025
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These challenges not only hinder women’s economic advancement but also limit businesses from reaching their full potential.—
C200,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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For nearly 20 years, astronomers have been perplexed by the strange disk of dust and debris circling Fomalhaut, a bright star just 25 light-years from Earth.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Sep. 2025
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Many historians have been perplexed by how such a seemingly simple man as Shakespeare could have written works of such grandeur and depth.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
30 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The women were too busy cooking, crafting, and caring for the family to bother with the stone tools used by men in hunting and building.—
Sarah Durn,
Popular Science,
11 Sep. 2025
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Why ban books, Postman asked, if no one bothers to read them?—
Time,
Time,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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And the new administration may be further hampering those plans.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
11 Sep. 2025
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Maintain a safe distance from large vehicles - Trucks or buses can produce a water spray that hampers visibility.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Embarrass.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/embarrass. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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