opprobrium

noun

ə-ˈprō-brē-əm How to pronounce opprobrium (audio)
Definition of opprobriumnext
1
as in scandal
a cause of shame saw no reason why "secretary" should suddenly become a term of opprobrium among the politically correct

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2
as in disgrace
the state of having lost the esteem of others the opprobrium that was long attached to the convicted embezzler's name

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of opprobrium The policies pursued by the Islamic Republic in the 1990s—the death fatwa against Salman Rushdie and attempts to kill his associates, the terror bombing of a Jewish community center in Argentina—gained it nothing but opprobrium. — Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 23 Mar. 2026 Govan and Zumthor, who until now has never built a building in the US, inspired years of pearl clutching in Los Angeles over the development—one art critic even earned a Pulitzer Prize for his opprobrium. — Mark Guiducci, Vanity Fair, 6 Mar. 2026 The post was deleted after other commenters were more pointed in their opprobrium. — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 15 Feb. 2026 In the summer of 2024, UNICEF’s representative in Congo suggested that 361,000 children might be laboring in mines in southern Congo, though this number seems implausibly high and drew quick opprobrium from Congolese NGOs that work on the issue. — Literary Hub, 22 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for opprobrium
Recent Examples of Synonyms for opprobrium
  1. scandal
  2. disgrace
  3. shame
  4. contempt
  5. odium
  6. humiliation
Noun
  • The legislature banned most gifts from lobbyists to lawmakers and other state officials 20 years ago in response to scandals involving former House Speaker Jim Black, a Matthews Democrat.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 15 July 2026
  • The commission was established in 2016 by the county Board of Supervisors after a jail abuse scandal that sent multiple sheriff’s deputies to prison, and was meant to provide civilian oversight of the department.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026
Definition of scandal
Noun
  • The character’s remorse and disgrace become a pivotal part of the movie’s third act, which ends almost entirely differently than Homer’s nearly 3,000-year-old tome.
    — Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 18 July 2026
  • Then, there was Switzerland’s striker Breel Embolo, who was sent off in disgrace for diving, just when his team had Argentina on the run in the quarterfinal.
    — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 17 July 2026
Definition of disgrace
Noun
  • Even in organizational cultures that embrace mental health, financial strain and its associated shame can remain hidden.
    — Dr. Erika Rasure, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
  • For generations, many families carried not only unimaginable grief but also shame.
    — Geri McGinn Kerger, Chicago Tribune, 20 July 2026
Definition of shame
Noun
  • Children’s Hospital Colorado faces a hearing for contempt of court after its doctors didn’t resume gender-affirming care.
    — Meg Wingerter, Denver Post, 15 July 2026
  • The contempt finding stems from long-running civil litigation arising from the 2019 boat crash that killed Mallory Beach.
    — Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 14 July 2026
Definition of contempt
Noun
  • Pashinyan had led the movement to oust Moscow’s influence in Armenia; he was now saddled with the odium of losing Karabakh on his watch.
    — Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 9 Oct. 2024
  • By heaping odium on Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, one of several prominent opposition figures, the government gave a divided opposition a leader to unite around.
    — Christopher de Bellaigue, The New York Review of Books, 13 Oct. 2022
Definition of odium
Noun
  • Weber’s account does not play down the violence and humiliation of the process.
    — Nikhil Krishnan, New Yorker, 20 July 2026
  • Europe entered Sunday singles with an 11½-4½ advantage and had already reduced the final session to little more than a desperate American attempt to avoid complete humiliation.
    — Dan Zaksheske, FOXNews.com, 19 July 2026
Definition of humiliation

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Cite this Entry

“Opprobrium.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/opprobrium. Accessed 22 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of opprobrium for Spanish Speakers

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