To mortify someone means to cause them deep embarrassment or humiliation, making them wish they could disappear on the spot. When you're mortified, you feel that burning face, sinking-stomach sensation that comes from being embarrassed in front of others.

You might feel mortified when your dad loudly tells an embarrassing story about you at a family dinner, or when you realize you've been walking around school all day with your shirt on backwards. Students often feel mortified when they give a wrong answer in class and everyone laughs, or when they trip and spill their lunch tray in a crowded cafeteria.

The word suggests extreme embarrassment that goes beyond mild discomfort. Being mortified means experiencing intense shame, like confidently announcing the wrong answer in front of the whole class, including your best friend. The feeling is so powerful it often involves wishing you could sink into the floor.