ignominy

noun

ig·​no·​mi·​ny ˈig-nə-ˌmi-nē 

-mə-nē,

 also  ig-ˈnä-mə-nē

plural ignominies

1

: deep personal humiliation and disgrace

suffered the ignominy of another losing season

2

: disgraceful or dishonorable conduct, quality, or action

forced to acknowledge their ignominy

Synonyms of ignominy

• disgrace
• shame
• humiliation

Choose the Right Synonym for ignominy

disgrace, dishonor, disrepute, infamy, ignominy mean the state or condition of suffering loss of esteem and of enduring reproach.

disgrace often implies humiliation and sometimes ostracism.

sent home in disgrace

dishonor emphasizes the loss of honor that one has enjoyed or the loss of self-esteem.

preferred death to life with dishonor

disrepute stresses loss of one's good name or the acquiring of a bad reputation.

a once proud name fallen into disrepute

infamy usually implies notoriety as well as exceeding shame.

a day that lives in infamy

ignominy stresses humiliation.

the ignominy of being arrested

Examples of ignominy in a Sentence

She had to endure the ignominy of being forced to resign.

the small ignominies that are a part of everyone's life

Recent Examples on the Web

Khan isn’t the first Pakistani prime minister whose legal ignominy is tied to jewelry. —Rafia Zakaria, Time, 6 Nov. 2025

Palhinha’s goal at least saved them from the ignominy of that. —Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025

By their lofty standards, Madrid endured a dismal European campaign last term, suffering the ignominy of having to go through the play-offs to qualify for the Round of 16 before being trounced 5-1 on aggregate by Arsenal in the quarter-finals. —Dan Cancian, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025

Sometime this week – or next week, at the latest – Riley Greene will end the latest era of ignominy for the Detroit Tigers. —Ryan Ford, Freep.com, 26 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle French or Latin; Middle French ignominie, from Latin ignominia, from ig- (as in ignorare to be ignorant of, ignore) + nomin-, nomen name, repute — more at name

First Known Use

circa 1527, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for ignominy

• finny
• ginny
• jinny
• mini
• minnie
• ninny
• pinnae
• skinny
• spinney
• swinney
• tinny
• whinny

Kids Definition

ignominy

noun

ig·​no·​mi·​ny ˈig-nə-ˌmin-ē 

ig-ˈnäm-ə-nē

plural ignominies

: deep humiliation and disgrace