embarrass

To embarass is defined as to make someone feel self-conscious or make someone feel badly about himself.

(verb)

An example of embarass is when you tease someone in front of his friends about a mistake he has made.

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See embarrass in Webster's New World College Dictionary

transitive verb

  1. to cause to feel self-conscious, confused, and ill at ease; disconcert; fluster
  2. to cause difficulties to; hinder; impede
  3. to cause to be in debt; cause financial difficulties to
  4. to make more difficult; complicate

Origin: Fr embarrasser, lit., to encumber, obstruct < Sp embarazar < It imbarrazzare < imbarrare, to bar, impede < in- (L in-) + ML barra, bar

Related Forms:

See embarrass in American Heritage Dictionary 4

transitive verb em·bar·rassed, em·bar·rass·ing, em·bar·rass·es
  1. To cause to feel self-conscious or ill at ease; disconcert: Meeting adults embarrassed the shy child.
  2. To involve in or hamper with financial difficulties.
  3. To hinder with obstacles or difficulties; impede.
  4. To complicate.
  5. To interfere with (a bodily function) or impede the function of (a body part).

Origin:

Origin: French embarrasser, to encumber, hamper

Origin: , from Spanish embarazar

Origin: , from Italian imbarazzare

Origin: , from imbarazzo, obstacle, obstruction

Origin: , from imbarrare, to block, bar

Origin: : in-, in (from Latin; see en-1)

Origin: + barra, bar (from Vulgar Latin *barra)

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Related Forms:

  • em·barˈrassed·ly adverb
  • em·barˈrass·ing·ly adverb

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