disgrace

play

verb dis·grace \ di-ˈskrās , dis-ˈgrās \

Definition of disgrace

transitive verb

1 archaic :to humiliate by a superior showing

thy whiteness … shall disgrace the swan
—Robert Browning

2 :to be a source of shame to

Your actions disgraced the family.

3 :to cause to lose favor (see ¹favor 1a(2)) or standing

was disgraced by the hint of scandal

—

disgracer

noun

See disgrace defined for English-language learners

See disgrace defined for kids

Examples of disgrace in a Sentence

Many feel that the mayor has disgraced the town government by accepting personal favors from local businesspeople.
He felt he had disgraced himself by failing at school.

Recent Examples of disgrace from the Web

The award follows the dictum of Carnegie, who once said that the person who dies rich dies disgraced, said Vartan Gregorian, president of the Carnegie Corp. of New York.

— peter dobrin, Philly.com, "On the receiving end for a change, the Lenfests win the Carnegie Medal," 22 June 2017
As co-host of The Five from 2011 to 2015, and again this year, the Democratic commentator routinely disgraced the progressive cause.

— graham vyse, New Republic, "The Decline of the Fox News Liberal Pundit," 24 May 2017
For Speaker Paul Ryan in particular, all else—disgracing the office of the presidency, destroying the reputation of the United States of America around the world—is worth it.

— jack holmes, Esquire, "Seth Meyers Just Exposed Republican Cowardice on Trump vs. Comey," 18 May 2017
If half of what the ACLU and the 11 black residents allege is true, Madison County leaders and sheriff’s deputies are disgracing the core civil values of their country.

— conor friedersdorf, The Atlantic, "A Civil-Rights Lawsuit in Mississippi," 11 May 2017
And Illinois lawmakers should not disgrace themselves by ignoring the wants and needs of a million Illinois residents.

— paul sassone, chicagotribune.com, "Column: Lawmakers should protect landline phone service," 26 Apr. 2017
May those who seek my life be disgraced and put to shame.

— nate gartrell, The Mercury News, "Convicted Richmond child molester gets 931 years in prison; ‘survivors’ applauded in court," 21 Apr. 2017
All five have been disgraced since 2012, either imprisoned for corruption and abuse of power or faced with similar charges.

— didi kirsten tatlow, New York Times, "In Book, Xi Jinping Taints Ousted Rivals With Talk of Plots," 27 Jan. 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'disgrace.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of disgrace

see ²disgrace

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1580

See Words from the same year

disgrace Synonyms

Synonyms

abase, chasten, cheapen, debase, degrade, demean, discredit, humble, dishonor, foul, humiliate, lower, shame, sink, smirch, take down

Antonyms

aggrandize, canonize, deify, elevate, exalt

Near Antonyms

acclaim, applaud, boast, celebrate, cheer, cite, commend, compliment, congratulate, decorate, eulogize, extol (also extoll), fete (or fête), hail, honor, laud, praise, salute, tout; acknowledge, recognize; highlight, play up, spotlight; dignify, ennoble, enshrine, ensky, enthrone, glorify, magnify; advance, boost, lift, promote, raise, upgrade, uplift; idealize, romanticize

disgrace

noun

Definition of disgrace

1 a :the condition of one fallen from grace :the condition of one who has lost honor (see ¹honor 1a)

left in disgrace

b :loss of grace, favor, or honor

brought disgrace upon the family

2 :a source of shame

Your manners are a disgrace.

He's a disgrace to the profession.

See disgrace defined for English-language learners

Examples of disgrace in a Sentence

The secret was protected out of a fear of political disgrace.
Many feel that the mayor has brought disgrace upon the town.
She was forced to leave in disgrace.
His table manners are a disgrace.
The health-care system is a national disgrace.

Recent Examples of disgrace from the Web

The 18,000 arrests in 2016 alone and outrageous racial disparities are a disgrace to the city and a blight on the mayor’s record.

— drug policy alliance, The Root, "Drug Policy Alliance Calls Out De Blasio for Attempting to Spin Marijuana Arrests Record," 4 Aug. 2017
Questions about disgrace and dismissals disappeared.

— chris solari, Detroit Free Press, "As Michigan State opens camp, Spartans' youth movement in full force," 31 July 2017
The eccentric bon vivant who once strode across the global stage being flattered by sport and political leaders eager to capture his World Cup hosting vote died in disgrace on Wednesday at age 72.

— tom hays, courant.com, "Blazer Dies After Exposing Global Soccer Corruption He Profited From," 13 July 2017
A former lawyer who resigned his law license in disgrace in 2002 is charged with illegally representing two clients in court proceedings and using another attorney's information to forge and file court records.

— cory shaffer, cleveland.com, "Disbarred Sagamore Hills attorney charged with forging legal documents," 26 June 2017
His legacy was later clouded by disgrace over a party fund-raising scandal.

— kansascity, kansascity.com, "Final Chapters: John G. Avildsen, Helmut Kohl, Bill Dana, Stephen Furst," 24 June 2017
Mark Hurd left Hewlett Packard in 2011 in disgrace after revelations of personal scandal, but today is thriving as CEO of Oracle.

— irv schenkler, Fortune, "How Uber’s Travis Kalanick Can Make a Comeback," 22 June 2017
God save us not just from this civil disgrace, but from some self-important celebrities whose frame of mind does not seem that distant from Kathy Griffin’s.

— jay ambrose, Twin Cities, "Jay Ambrose: Trump needs an intervention," 11 June 2017
Apart from Milo Yiannopolous, the site’s provocative former tech editor who resigned in disgrace earlier this year, McHugh was possibly the member of the staff most closely aligned with the alt-right.

— rosie gray, The Atlantic, "Why Breitbart Fired an Editor for a Tweet," 7 June 2017

Origin and Etymology of disgrace

Middle French, from Old Italian disgrazia, from dis- (from Latin) + grazia grace, from Latin gratia — more at grace

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1586

See Words from the same year

disgrace Synonyms

Synonyms

discredit, disesteem, dishonor, disrepute, ignominy, infamy, obloquy, odium, opprobrium, reproach, shame

Antonyms

esteem, honor, respect

Related Words

scandal; contempt, despite, disdain, scorn; deprecation, disapprobation, disapproval, disfavor; abasement, debasement, debasing, degradation, dust, humbling, humiliation; blot, brand, shadow, slur, smirch, spot, stain, stigma, taint

Near Antonyms

admiration, appreciation, estimation, regard; awe, fear, reverence; fame, glory, renown, repute

Synonym Discussion of disgrace

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

DISGRACE Defined for English Language Learners

disgrace

play

verb

Definition of disgrace for English Language Learners

: to cause (someone) to feel ashamed
: to cause (someone or something) to lose or become unworthy of respect or approval

disgrace

noun

Definition of disgrace for English Language Learners

: the condition of feeling ashamed or of losing or becoming unworthy of respect or approval
: something that you are or should be ashamed of

DISGRACE Defined for Kids

disgrace

play

verb dis·grace \ di-ˈskrās , dis-ˈgrās \

Definition of disgrace for Students

disgraced; disgracing

:to bring shame to

Her behavior disgraced the family.

disgrace

noun

Definition of disgrace for Students

1 :the condition of being looked down on :loss of respect

He resigned in disgrace.

2 :a cause of shame

It was a disgrace to be chained, and he felt it deeply …
—Laura Ingalls Wilder, Little House on the Prairie

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disgrace

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Origin and Etymology of disgrace

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DISGRACE Defined for English Language Learners

disgrace

Definition of disgrace for English Language Learners

disgrace

Definition of disgrace for English Language Learners

DISGRACE Defined for Kids

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