Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Feeling extremely embarrassed, ashamed, or humiliated: The primary meaning describes a state of deep psychological discomfort caused by shame, wounded pride, or humiliation.
   • Suffering from tissue death (necrosis): A specialized medical meaning referring to biological tissue that has died, often due to infection or lack of blood supply.

Usage Examples

• Adjective (feeling ashamed):
  • He was mortified when he realized he had given the presentation with his fly open.
  • She felt mortified by her public mistake.
• Adjective (medical context):
  • The surgeon had to remove the mortified tissue to prevent the spread of infection.

Advanced Usage

• "to be mortified at/by something": A common collocation to specify the cause of the shame.
  • I was utterly mortified by my child's tantrum in the restaurant.
  • He was mortified at his own forgetfulness.

Variants and Related Words

• Mortify (verb): To cause someone to feel ashamed or humiliated. () In a religious or archaic context, it can mean to subdue bodily desires through self-discipline.
• Mortifying (adjective): Causing feelings of intense shame or embarrassment. ()
• Mortification (noun): The state of feeling mortified; deep shame and embarrassment. () It can also refer to the death of tissue in medical contexts.

Synonyms

• Humiliated: Made to feel ashamed and foolish by injury to one's dignity.
• Chagrined: Feeling distressed or humiliated, especially by failure or disappointment.
• Embarrassed: Feeling self-conscious, awkward, or ashamed.

Antonyms

• Proud: Feeling deep pleasure or satisfaction.
• Unabashed: Not embarrassed, disconcerted, or ashamed.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• "Die of mortification": An exaggerated expression meaning to be extremely embarrassed.
  • I could have died of mortification when my phone rang loudly during the ceremony.

Adjective

1. made to feel uncomfortable because of shame or wounded pride
   • too embarrassed to say hello to his drunken father on the street
   • humiliated that his wife had to go out to work
   • felt mortified by the comparison with her sister
2. suffering from tissue death