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Glite Dictionary
😳 Awkward feeling 💸 Money trouble 🧺 Too much
embarrassment

embarrassment

8 5.6
A lot of things that make choosing hard
  • noun
  • /ɪmˈbærəsmənt/
translation icon : abundancia
  • It's like having an embarrassment of riches with so many wonderful gifts this birthday.

After doing that exercise very successfully, there was an embarrassment of preaches.

Examples

  • Our first problem was an embarrassment of riches.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • It's an embarrassment of riches.

    Prince of the City (1981)

  • We have an embarrassment of riches in this town when it comes to food options.

    Blog text (22)

  • Last year we had an embarrassment of riches by comparison...

    Blog text (23)

  • Oh, so many offers, Chi Chi, it's an embarrassment of riches.

    Welcome to Mooseport (2004)

  • Early morning brings soft new light, a leisurely drive to the surrounding villages, and an embarrassment of photographic riches.

    Academic text (2004)

  • "We have an embarrassment of riches," he said, tapping at one of the touchscreens.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • You obtained this job under false pretenses, and now you've caused the firm great embarrassment in front of important clients.

    The Fighting Temptations (2003)

  • Williams said that tonight we have an embarrassment of good, smart people to talk to.

  • The event was marked by an embarrassment of choices, making it hard to decide what to eat.

Synonyms

plethora
vsembarrassment
33 7.7

A much larger amount than people need or can manage

is an excess that also makes choosing between options difficult
superfluity
vsembarrassment
1 8.7

An amount that is more than needed or useful

stresses excess that specifically causes problems in choosing
overplus
vsembarrassment
  • Archaic
9.8

An amount that is more than is needed, often extra food or goods

highlights excess that creates difficulty choosing between alternatives

Antonyms

scarcity
29 4.4

A situation where there is not enough of something people need

Compounds

embarrassment of riches
4 7.4

Having more good choices than you can easily choose between

How Abundant

embarrassment
8 5.6
excess
77 4.1
surplus
192 3.1
abundance
91 3.3
plenty
∞ 1.0
adequacy
6 3.7
scarcity
29 4.4

Surface Forms

embarrassment singular
embarrassments plural

Morphology

embarrassment = embarrass (opaque) = embarrass + ment

The meaning 'an excess or overabundance causing difficulty' is a specialized extension (from 'hindrance'/'difficulty') and is not predictable from the common emotional sense.

Etymology

Embarrassment in the sense of 'too much' comes from the same idea of being 'blocked' by a crowd or pile, and you can think of the root bar. So an 'embarrassment' of goods or choices means there is so much that it 'blocks' your decision.