ignominious
adjective
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The "-nom-" of "ignominious" comes from "nomen," the Latin word for "name" or "repute." (It's also the root of "misnomer," "nomenclature," and "nominal," among others.) The "ig-" part of the word is akin to the negative prefix in-; when joined to the root "-nom-," it indicates the namelessness that goes with shame or dishonor. To suffer an ignominious fate is to lose the opportunity to make a name for oneself or to lose one's good name. When "ignominious" was first borrowed from a French form of the word in the 15th century, it meant "disgraced" or "dishonorable." "Ignominious" continues to have such meanings, but it also has somewhat milder meanings - "embarrassing" and "humiliating."
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Examples of ignominious in a Sentence
Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 28 Mar. 2024
The Golden State is home to four of the national parks with the haziest skies, with Sequoia and Kings Canyon — which are contiguous — once again claiming the ignominious top slot.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024
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“Ignominious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ignominious. Accessed 17 Apr. 2024.
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ignominious
adjective
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