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Preposition after adjective

Embarrassed by or embarrassed about?

Use embarrassed by for the cause of embarrassment and embarrassed about for a topic, action, or situation connected to shame or discomfort.

Quick answer

Which preposition should you use with embarrassed?

Embarrassed by focuses on what causes embarrassment. Embarrassed about focuses on the subject someone feels embarrassed about.

She was embarrassed by his rude comment.
He feels embarrassed about his mistake.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
embarrassed by + cause

Identifying the cause of embarrassment

Use by before the person, action, or event causing embarrassment.

I was embarrassed by the attention.
2
embarrassed about + topic/action

Talking about the subject of embarrassment

Use about for personal situations, behaviour, or topics.

She is embarrassed about her accent.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
embarrassed by
They were embarrassed by the mistake.
focused on the thing causing embarrassment
embarrassed about
He is embarrassed about his grades.
focused on the topic or situation

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using by for personal topics

About is more natural for ongoing personal concerns.

✕ She is embarrassed by her weight. ✓ She is embarrassed about her weight.

Using about for immediate causes

By is better for direct causes or actions.

✕ He was embarrassed about the loud joke. ✓ He was embarrassed by the loud joke.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. I was embarrassed ___ my reaction.
2. She felt embarrassed ___ the applause.
3. He is embarrassed ___ forgetting her name.

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Frequently asked questions

Can both by and about be correct in similar contexts?

Yes, but the focus changes. By emphasises the cause, while about emphasises the subject or issue.

Is embarrassed of correct?

Embarrassed of is nonstandard in most modern English. Use embarrassed about instead.

Can embarrassed by refer to people?

Yes. For example: She was embarrassed by her brother.

eager-for-to-in-about, on "early in", "early on" or "early for"? earnest in, with, on, for or at? easy for, on, in, to or with? "economical with" or "economical in"? "ecstatic about" or "ecstatic with"? "effective in", "effective at" or "effective for"? "efficient in" or "efficient at"? elderly in, with, at, of or as? elegant in, with, of, as or to? eligible for, to, in or under? "embarrassing for" or "embarrassing to"?

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