imbarazzo
/im.baˈrat.t͡so/
Embarrassment in Italian is imbarazzo.
imbarazzo refers to a state of discomfort.
Meaning: state of discomfort (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun imbarazzo is masculine and is used with masculine articles. For related forms, the verb imbarazzare means to embarrass and the adjective imbarazzante describes something that is embarrassing.
How do you pronounce it?
/im.baˈrat.tso/. It has 4 syllables and the stress is on the 3rd syllable.
Did you know?
- The word imbarazzo and the Spanish word embarazo share a common ancestor, even though the Spanish version now almost exclusively means 'pregnancy'.
- Beyond social discomfort, imbarazzo can refer to a physical 'clutter' or an 'obstacle' that blocks a path.
- While English speakers might say they are 'embarrassed' after a mistake, Italians often use the phrase fare una figuraccia to describe the act of making a fool of oneself. This literally translates to 'making a big bad figure'.
Examples in context
- Notò il suo imbarazzo.He noticed her embarrassment.This sentence shows how to express that someone noticed imbarazzo.Tatoeba #5770685 by Guybrush88, translation #302603 by CK
- È arrossito per l'imbarazzo.He blushed with embarrassment.This sentence illustrates blushing due to imbarazzo.Tatoeba #13821925 by Nuel, translation #13821924 by Nuel
- Sono quasi morto di imbarazzo.I almost died of embarrassment.This sentence uses a hyperbolic expression regarding imbarazzo.Tatoeba #7310759 by Guybrush88, translation #6542544 by Hybrid
- Provo una grande vergogna per quanto ho detto in quella riunione.I feel a great deal of embarrassment for what I said in that meeting.
- Non so cosa fare, mi trovo in un impaccio!I don't know what to do, I'm in an embarrassing situation!
- 12 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Martina and Alessandro are talking after a social mistake.
- MartinaHai visto il suo imbarazzo?Did you see his embarrassment?
- AlessandroSì, è stato davvero strano.Yes, it was really strange.
- MartinaAlessandro, non essere così brusco.Alessandro, don't be so blunt.
- AlessandroScusa, non volevo creare imbarazzo.Sorry, I didn't want to cause embarrassment.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “embarrassment” translations and entries imbarazzo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries imbarazzo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
