Meanings
plural vicarious embarrassments
- countableuncountablehuman sciencesThe uncomfortable sympathetic feeling experienced while watching someone else embarrass themselves.
It is noted that vicarious embarrassment does not necessarily indicate the presence of an embarrassed other.
1996, Rom Harré, W. Gerrod Parrott, editors, The Emotions: Social, Cultural and Biological Dimensions, SAGE, →ISBN, page 1241 more example
The same brain regions, the study found, are implicated in vicarious embarrassment – watching President Obama give an awkward hug of his own to departing press secretary Jay Carney, say – as they are when empathizing with the physical pain of others.
2014 July 17, Oliver Burkeman, “No, I won't watch that cringe-inducing viral video. I'm a better person than you”, in The Guardian, →ISSNSynonyms: empathic embarrassment, secondhand embarrassment, Spanish shame
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe uncomfortable sympathetic feeling experienced while watching someone else embarrass themselves.
Translations
Catalan vergonya aliena
- vergonya alienaembarrassment felt for someone else
Chinese Mandarin 替代性尷尬 /替代性尴尬, 替人尷尬 /替人尴尬
- 替代性尷尬 /替代性尴尬 (tìdàixìng gāngà)embarrassment felt for someone else
- 替人尷尬 /替人尴尬 (tì rén gāngà)embarrassment felt for someone else
Czech pocit trapnosti za druhého, pocit trapnosti
- pocit trapnosti za druhéhoembarrassment felt for someone else
- pocit trapnostiembarrassment felt for someone else
Dutch plaatsvervangende schaamte
- plaatsvervangende schaamteembarrassment felt for someone else
Finnish myötähäpeä
- myötähäpeäembarrassment felt for someone else
German Fremdscham, Fremdschämen
- Fremdschamembarrassment felt for someone else
- Fremdschämenembarrassment felt for someone else
Greek ετεροντροπή
- ετεροντροπή (eterontropí)embarrassment felt for someone else
Icelandic kjánahrollur
- kjánahrollurembarrassment felt for someone else
Japanese 共感性羞恥
- 共感性羞恥 (kyōkansei shūchi)embarrassment felt for someone else
Polish zażenowanie (czyimś zachowaniem)
- zażenowanie (czyimś zachowaniem)embarrassment felt for someone else
Portuguese vergonha alheia
- vergonha alheiaembarrassment felt for someone else
Russian испа́нский стыд
- испа́нский стыд (ispánskij styd)embarrassment felt for someone else
Spanish vergüenza ajena, pena ajena
- vergüenza ajenaembarrassment felt for someone else
- pena ajenaembarrassment felt for someone else
- aliporiembarrassment felt for someone else
Swedish sekundärskam
- sekundärskamembarrassment felt for someone else
Vietnamese ngại giùm
- ngại giùmembarrassment felt for someone else
Cite this entry
vicarious embarrassment. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vicarious%20embarrassment
“vicarious embarrassment.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vicarious%20embarrassment. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “vicarious embarrassment,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vicarious%20embarrassment.
Source: vicarious embarrassment on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.