noun
mortification
mor-tih-fih-KAY-shun/ˌmɔːrtɪfɪˈkeɪʃn/
Extreme embarrassment or humiliation.
The presenter's mortification is obvious after water spills over the papers.
Etymology
“Making dead” underlies the earlier sense of suppressing bodily desires through discipline. The later emotional sense shifts from this subduing of the flesh to the experience of humiliation.
In context
hear myself ridiculed on that account without the least mortification
More examples
- To my mortification, I called my new boss by the wrong name.
- He hides his mortification behind a nervous laugh.
- The memory still fills me with mortification.
Forms
mortify verb — To cause someone to feel deeply embarrassed.
Similar words
- embarrassment
- Can be mild, while mortification describes an intense feeling.
- humiliation
- Emphasizes wounded dignity, often caused by public mistreatment or ridicule.