- embarrassment
- noun1 feeling of being embarrassedADJECTIVE▪ acute, considerable, great▪ total, utter▪ slight▪
She smiled to hide her slight embarrassment.
▪ further▪ obvious▪ personal▪ public▪The agreement was made in secret to avoid public embarrassment.
VERB + EMBARRASSMENT▪ feel▪I felt some embarrassment as we shook hands.
▪ suffer▪He suffered great personal embarrassment after failing the tests.
▪ cover, hide▪ cause▪ risk▪Pender decided to risk embarrassment and seek help.
▪ avoid, prevent▪The government wishes to avoid further embarrassment over the affair.
▪ blush with, flush with, squirm with (esp. BrE)▪I still squirm with embarrassment at the thought of it.
▪ die from, die of (figurative)▪I could have died of embarrassment when I saw her standing behind me.
▪ ease, relieve▪ save sb, spare sb▪Helen changed the subject to save me the embarrassment of replying.
PREPOSITION▪ in embarrassment▪We all watched in silent embarrassment as Mr Rogers started to cry.
▪ with embarrassment, without embarrassment▪I could finally talk about my problem without embarrassment.
▪ embarrassment at▪her embarrassment at being found out
▪ embarrassment over▪the government's embarrassment over the affair
PHRASES▪ (much) to sb's embarrassment▪Much to his embarrassment, Mike realized that a small crowd was watching him.
▪ feelings of embarrassment▪ a flush of embarrassment▪A flush of embarrassment came to her cheeks.
▪ a source of embarrassment2 sb/sth that makes you embarrassedADJECTIVE▪ great, huge, major, serious, severe (esp. BrE)▪ potential▪ financial, political, social▪ national▪The president became a national embarrassment.
VERB + EMBARRASSMENT▪ be, become, prove▪The protests were becoming something of an embarrassment to the government.
▪ consider sb/sthPREPOSITION▪ embarrassment for▪The episode was a huge embarrassment for all concerned.
▪ embarrassment to▪The poor child was considered an embarrassment to his family.
Collocations dictionary. 2013.
