ignominious

adjective

ig·​no·​min·​i·​ous ˌig-nə-ˈmi-nē-əs 

1

: humiliating, degrading

an ignominious defeat

2

: deserving of shame or infamy : despicable

3

: marked with or characterized by disgrace or shame : dishonorable

ignominiously adverb

ignominiousness noun

Did you know?

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."

Synonyms

• infamous
• notorious
• shady
• criminal
• disgraceful
• immoral
• shameful

Examples of ignominious in a Sentence

some of his friends considered the low-level job to be an ignominious fate for the laid-off executive

the prison guards degraded themselves with their inhumane, ignominious treatment of the prisoners

Recent Examples on the Web

The rarity unfolded five innings after a fellow member of the Padres’ pitching staff found himself on the wrong side of a more ignominious chain of events. —Dennis Lin, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2025

The Philadelphia Phillies have reshaped a bullpen that will be counted on to carry the team deep into the playoffs and the latest moves could mean an ignominious end for a two-time All-Star arm. —Peter Chawaga, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2025

Greg Baker | Afp | Getty Images China Evergrande Group was delisted from the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on Monday — an ignominious exit for the former high-flying developer that once epitomized Beijing's economic rise and later came to symbolize the country's property bust. —Anniek Bao,lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 25 Aug. 2025

Having two of the three most impoverished cities, especially when those cities are experiencing booming population growth, is its own kind of economic miracle, if an ignominious one. —Kathryn Anne Edwards, Mercury News, 7 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

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Kids Definition

ignominious

adjective

ig·​no·​min·​i·​ous ˌig-nə-ˈmin-ē-əs 

: causing disgrace or shame

an ignominious defeat

ignominiously adverb