# embarrassment

Pronunciation: US say "im-BA-ruhs-muhnt" /ɪmˈbæɹəsmənt/; UK

## Noun

1. A state of discomfort arising from shyness or from awareness that one has broken a social rule; humiliation.
   - Simple: The uncomfortable feeling you get when you do something silly or wrong in front of other people.
   - _A wave of embarrassment swept over her when she realized the mistake was public._
   - _He hid his embarrassment behind a forced laugh during the meeting._
2. A person or thing that causes humiliation to someone else.
   - Simple: A person or thing that makes someone else feel ashamed or look bad.
   - _The scandal turned the once-respected senator into a national embarrassment._
   - _His drunken speech was an embarrassment to everyone at the wedding._
3. An overly large supply of good or valuable things, especially one that exceeds what is needed or creates difficulty.
   - Simple: A very large amount of good things, so many that they are hard to deal with.
   - _The festival offered an embarrassment of films, far more than anyone could watch in a week._
   - _The gallery's new wing holds an embarrassment of masterpieces._
4. A state of perplexity or doubt that leaves a person hesitating, unsure what to do or think.
   - Simple: A state of being confused or unsure, when you stop because you do not know what to think.
   - _The witness's embarrassment was evident as he wavered, unable to settle on a clear account._
   - _Badly written instructions only lead the reader into further embarrassments about which step comes next._
5. Impairment of the normal function of an organ or system as a result of disease.
   - Simple: When a body part cannot work properly because of illness.
   - _The cardiologist noted signs of circulatory embarrassment following the blockage._
   - _Severe pneumonia produced respiratory embarrassment that required ventilation._

## Noun

6. A condition of financial difficulty or poverty. *(dated)*
   - Simple: Money troubles that mean you do not have enough to pay what you owe.
   - _The estate passed through years of embarrassment before the debts were finally settled._
   - _Pecuniary embarrassment forced the gentleman to sell his library._

## Origin

Formed from the verb "embarrass" combined with the suffix "-ment."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/embarrassment (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).