"embarras" meaning in English

See embarras in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /ɒmbəˈɹɑː/ [UK] Forms: embarras [plural]
Etymology: From French embarras. Etymology templates: {{der|en|fr|embarras}} French embarras Head templates: {{en-noun|~|*}} embarras (countable and uncountable, plural embarras), {{tlb|en|now|rare}} (now rare)
  1. Embarrassment; confusion, uncertainty. Tags: archaic, countable, uncountable
    Sense id: en-embarras-en-noun-P1LweVHx
  2. An embarrassment; an obstacle or hindrance. Tags: archaic, countable, uncountable
    Sense id: en-embarras-en-noun-gYqJb62V
  3. Embarrassment; intense social awkwardness. Tags: archaic, countable, uncountable
    Sense id: en-embarras-en-noun-VAf2~GvP
  4. (historical, Canada, US) A clump of driftwood obstructing a waterway. Tags: Canada, US, archaic, countable, historical, uncountable
    Sense id: en-embarras-en-noun-syYrpFgy Categories (other): American English, Canadian English, English entries with incorrect language header, Pages with 3 entries, Pages with entries Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 23 12 19 46 Disambiguation of Pages with 3 entries: 8 7 8 44 8 7 18 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 8 7 8 44 8 7 18
{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "embarras"
      },
      "expansion": "French embarras",
      "name": "der"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From French embarras.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "embarras",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "~",
        "2": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "embarras (countable and uncountable, plural embarras)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "now",
        "3": "rare"
      },
      "expansion": "(now rare)",
      "name": "tlb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "attestations": [
        {
          "date": "from 17th c.",
          "references": []
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1906, Henry James, letter, 17 November",
          "text": "I […] envy & sympathise—being in all sorts of embarrass now, myself, over the finish of many things."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Embarrassment; confusion, uncertainty."
      ],
      "id": "en-embarras-en-noun-P1LweVHx",
      "links": [
        [
          "Embarrassment",
          "embarrassment"
        ],
        [
          "confusion",
          "confusion"
        ],
        [
          "uncertainty",
          "uncertainty"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic",
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ]
    },
    {
      "attestations": [
        {
          "date": "from 17th c.",
          "references": []
        }
      ],
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              65,
              73
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1751, [Tobias] Smollett, The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle […], volume (please specify |volume=I to IV), London: Harrison and Co., […], →OCLC:",
          "text": "[O]ne day in his way to the opera, his chariot was stopped by an embarras in the street, occasioned by two peasants, who having driven their carts against each other, quarrelled, and went to loggerheads on the spot.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "An embarrassment; an obstacle or hindrance."
      ],
      "id": "en-embarras-en-noun-gYqJb62V",
      "links": [
        [
          "embarrassment",
          "embarrassment"
        ],
        [
          "obstacle",
          "obstacle"
        ],
        [
          "hindrance",
          "hindrance"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic",
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ]
    },
    {
      "attestations": [
        {
          "date": "from 18th c.",
          "references": []
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Embarrassment; intense social awkwardness."
      ],
      "id": "en-embarras-en-noun-VAf2~GvP",
      "links": [
        [
          "Embarrassment",
          "embarrassment"
        ],
        [
          "awkwardness",
          "awkwardness"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic",
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ]
    },
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      "attestations": [
        {
          "date": "from 19th c.",
          "references": []
        }
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      "categories": [
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          "kind": "other",
          "name": "American English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
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          "name": "Canadian English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "23 12 19 46",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "8 7 8 44 8 7 18",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 3 entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "8 7 8 44 8 7 18",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A clump of driftwood obstructing a waterway."
      ],
      "id": "en-embarras-en-noun-syYrpFgy",
      "links": [
        [
          "Canada",
          "Canada"
        ],
        [
          "US",
          "American English"
        ],
        [
          "driftwood",
          "driftwood"
        ],
        [
          "waterway",
          "waterway"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(historical, Canada, US) A clump of driftwood obstructing a waterway."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Canada",
        "US",
        "archaic",
        "countable",
        "historical",
        "uncountable"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ɒmbəˈɹɑː/",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "embarras"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English indeclinable nouns",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English nouns with irregular plurals",
    "English rare terms",
    "English terms derived from French",
    "English uncountable nouns",
    "Pages with 3 entries",
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  "etymology_templates": [
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "embarras"
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      "expansion": "French embarras",
      "name": "der"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From French embarras.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "embarras",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "~",
        "2": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "embarras (countable and uncountable, plural embarras)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    },
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "now",
        "3": "rare"
      },
      "expansion": "(now rare)",
      "name": "tlb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "attestations": [
        {
          "date": "from 17th c.",
          "references": []
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1906, Henry James, letter, 17 November",
          "text": "I […] envy & sympathise—being in all sorts of embarrass now, myself, over the finish of many things."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Embarrassment; confusion, uncertainty."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Embarrassment",
          "embarrassment"
        ],
        [
          "confusion",
          "confusion"
        ],
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          "uncertainty",
          "uncertainty"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic",
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ]
    },
    {
      "attestations": [
        {
          "date": "from 17th c.",
          "references": []
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
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          "bold_text_offsets": [
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              65,
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          ],
          "ref": "1751, [Tobias] Smollett, The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle […], volume (please specify |volume=I to IV), London: Harrison and Co., […], →OCLC:",
          "text": "[O]ne day in his way to the opera, his chariot was stopped by an embarras in the street, occasioned by two peasants, who having driven their carts against each other, quarrelled, and went to loggerheads on the spot.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "An embarrassment; an obstacle or hindrance."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "embarrassment",
          "embarrassment"
        ],
        [
          "obstacle",
          "obstacle"
        ],
        [
          "hindrance",
          "hindrance"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic",
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ]
    },
    {
      "attestations": [
        {
          "date": "from 18th c.",
          "references": []
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Embarrassment; intense social awkwardness."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Embarrassment",
          "embarrassment"
        ],
        [
          "awkwardness",
          "awkwardness"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic",
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ]
    },
    {
      "attestations": [
        {
          "date": "from 19th c.",
          "references": []
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        "American English",
        "Canadian English",
        "English terms with historical senses"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A clump of driftwood obstructing a waterway."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Canada",
          "Canada"
        ],
        [
          "US",
          "American English"
        ],
        [
          "driftwood",
          "driftwood"
        ],
        [
          "waterway",
          "waterway"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(historical, Canada, US) A clump of driftwood obstructing a waterway."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Canada",
        "US",
        "archaic",
        "countable",
        "historical",
        "uncountable"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ɒmbəˈɹɑː/",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "embarras"
}

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This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-02-11 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-02-01 using wiktextract (f492ef9 and 59dc20b). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.