: causing a feeling of self-conscious confusion and distress : causing embarrassment
an embarrassing error
The official was ever so polite, and ever so sorry, but the rule was strict, and he could not let us in. It was very embarrassing, for many eyes were on us. Mark Twain
Recent Examples on the WebThat decision wasn’t driven entirely by the embarrassing snippets in the Project Veritas videos, suggested Sandler. Erik Wemple, Washington Post, 16 Sep. 2022 Making matters even worse, those embarrassing things can then potentially be broadcast all over the world. Dalton Ross, EW.com, 16 Sep. 2022 Twenty-something-year-old alcoholic Samantha Fink is forced to move back home with her overbearing mother following an embarrassing public breakdown. Toby Grey, BGR, 16 Sep. 2022 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made a rare trip outside the capital city of Kyiv on Wednesday to visit areas Ukraine's military has retaken from Russia in a counteroffensive that sent Russian forces into an embarrassing retreat. Harold Maass, The Week, 15 Sep. 2022 After February’s bungled initial invasion, which saw Russian troops on the outskirts of Kharkiv, a city of more than a million, the Russian high command retrenched in the face of its embarrassing failures and horrifying combat losses. The Editors, National Review, 15 Sep. 2022 The threat also comes as Mr. Putin faces one of his most embarrassing setbacks on the ground in Ukraine. Jared Malsin, WSJ, 14 Sep. 2022 The admission is furthermore extremely embarrassing as academic honesty is considered the cornerstone of higher education. Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 12 Sep. 2022 Another showed that sharing embarrassing stories about oneself led to more creative brainstorming—perhaps because the activity preemptively alleviated any fears of humiliation that might have kept people from sharing their most daring ideas. Kate Cray, The Atlantic, 12 Sep. 2022 See More