Standard Lemma guide

embarrassingly

adv · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ɪmˈbæɹəsɪŋli/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ɛm-/
  • General-American: /əmˈbɛɹəsɪŋli/
  • General-American: /ɛm-/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: IH0 M B EH1 R AH0 S IH0 NG L IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adv

Meaning 1

In an embarrassing manner.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • He stumbled embarrassingly about the dance floor.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adv

Meaning 2

To the point of embarrassment; to an extreme or bewildering degree.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • He soon became not merely tipsy, but embarrassingly drunk.
  • He was presented with an embarrassingly long list of options.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adv

Meaning 3

Causing embarrassment.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Embarrassingly to me, my companion soon got drunk.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adverb

Meaning 4

causing embarrassment

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the great man was embarrassingly humble and self-effacing

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English embarrassing Proto-Indo-European *leyg-der. Proto-Germanic *līkąder. Proto-Germanic *-līkaz Proto-Germanic *-ê Proto-Germanic *-līkê Proto-West Germanic *-līkē Old English -līċe Middle English -ly English -ly English embarrassingly From embarrassing + -ly.