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[ adjective ] hard to deal with; especially causing pain or embarrassment
Synonyms Examples "awkward (or embarrassing or difficult) moments in the discussion" "an awkward pause followed his remark" "a sticky question" "in an unenviable position" Used in print (Tristram P. Coffin, "Folklore in the American Twentieth...)Or does he sincerely want to tap the real springs of American attitude and culture regardless of how unpopular and embarrassing they may be ? (William Maxwell, The Chateau....)Fortunately , the embarrassing questions raised by objects do not need to be answered , or we would all have_to go sleep in the open fields . Related terms |
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[ adjective ] causing to feel shame or chagrin or vexation
Synonyms Examples "the embarrassing moment when she found her petticoat down around her ankles" "it was mortifying to know he had heard every word" Used in print (John Cheever, "The Brigadier and the Golf Widow,"...)It bulks under a veil of thin , new grass , like some embarrassing fact of physicalness , and I think Mrs._Pastern set_out the statuary to soften its meaning . Related terms |
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