embarrass

v.

1. To upset mentally

   disconcert, fluster, abash, chagrin, discompose, discomfit, confuse, discomfort, upset, rattle, agitate, distress, disturb, faze, bewilder, nonplus, confound, bother, perplex, puzzle, vex, worry, trouble, distract, perturb, flurry, mortify, discountenance, dumbfound, shame, humiliate, make blush, put in a hole*, put on the spot*, put to the blush*, discombobulate*, make a monkey of*, put out of countenance*, put out of face*.

   Antonyms compose, encourage*, assure. *

2. To hinder

   keep back, obstruct, hamper; see hinder.

to embarrass is to cause to feel ill at ease so as to result in a loss of composure embarrassed by their compliments; abash implies a sudden loss of self-confidence and a growing feeling of shame or inadequacy I stood abashed at his rebukes; discomfit implies a frustration of plans or expectations and often connotes a resultant feeling of discomposure or humiliation; to disconcert is to cause someone to lose self-possession quickly, resulting in confusion or mental disorganization his interruptions were disconcerting; rattle and faze are less formal equivalents for disconcert, but the former emphasizes emotional agitation, and the latter is most commonly used in negative constructions danger does not faze him