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Mortifying: meaning, definitions and examples

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mortifying

 

[ ˈmɔːrtɪfaɪɪŋ ]

Adjective
Context #1 | Adjective

feeling

causing someone to feel extremely embarrassed, ashamed, or humiliated

Synonyms

embarrassing, humiliating, shameful

Examples of usage

  • His mortifying mistake in front of the whole class made him never want to show his face again.
  • The mortifying moment when she realized she had been talking loudly on the phone in a quiet library.
Context #2 | Adjective

appearance

causing great embarrassment or shame due to one's appearance or actions

Synonyms

awkward, cringeworthy, embarrassing

Examples of usage

  • She felt mortifyingly out of place at the formal event in her casual attire.
  • The mortifying realization that she had been walking around all day with a huge coffee stain on her shirt.

Translations

Translations of the word "mortifying" in other languages:

🇵🇹 mortificante

🇮🇳 अपमानजनक

🇩🇪 demütigend

🇮🇩 memalukan

🇺🇦 принизливий

🇵🇱 upokarzający

🇯🇵 屈辱的な (kutsujokuteki na)

🇫🇷 mortifiant

🇪🇸 mortificante

🇹🇷 küçük düşürücü

🇰🇷 굴욕적인 (gulyokjeogin)

🇸🇦 مذل

🇨🇿 ponižující

🇸🇰 ponižujúci

🇨🇳 令人尴尬的 (lìng rén gāngà de)

🇸🇮 ponižujoč

🇮🇸 niðurdrepandi

🇰🇿 қорлаушы

🇬🇪 მოვლენა

🇦🇿 alçaldıcı

🇲🇽 mortificante

Word origin

The word 'mortifying' originates from the verb 'mortify', which comes from the Latin word 'mortificare', meaning 'to kill'. In its original sense, 'mortify' meant 'to subdue the passions and appetites by penance or self-discipline'. Over time, the adjective 'mortifying' evolved to describe situations that cause extreme embarrassment or shame.

Word Frequency Rank

At rank #25,527, this word represents specialized academic or technical vocabulary. It's less frequently encountered but may be valuable in specific contexts.