disgrace

1 of 2

verb

dis·​grace di-ˈskrās How to pronounce disgrace (audio)
dis-ˈgrās
disgraced; disgracing; disgraces

transitive verb

1
: to be a source of shame to
Your actions disgraced the family.
2
: to cause to lose favor (see favor entry 1 sense 1a(2)) or standing
was disgraced by the hint of scandal
3
archaic : to humiliate by a superior showing
thy whiteness … shall disgrace the swanRobert Browning
disgracer noun

disgrace

2 of 2

noun

1
a
: the condition of one fallen from grace : the condition of one who has lost honor (see honor entry 1 sense 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.
Choose the Right Synonym for 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

Examples of disgrace in a Sentence

Verb 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. Noun 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. See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Some board members with ties to the effective altruism movement (which disgraced crypto executive Sam Bankman-Fried was also a proponent of) believe AI poses a grave threat to humanity. Paolo Confino, Fortune, 20 Nov. 2023 It’s got a bit more peril than the previous film, with the pups facing off against a new nemesis, an evil scientist named Victoria Vance (voiced by Taraji P. Henson), as well as their long-term antagonist, disgraced former Mayor Humdinger (voiced by Ron Pardo). Common Sense Media, Washington Post, 29 Sep. 2023 Now, Girardi stands disgraced, disbarred and charged in two states with bilking his clients. Siobhan O'Driscoll, ABC News, 7 Sep. 2023 Anyone expecting disgraced former Portage Mayor James Snyder to report to federal prison on Oct. 16 to begin serving a 21-month sentence in his cases for defrauding the IRS and public corruption can scratch that date off the calendar. Amy Lavalley, Chicago Tribune, 14 Sep. 2023 Or a cautionary tale, a mimic man whom Western letters seduced, then rejected and disgraced? Julian Lucas, The New Yorker, 11 Sep. 2023 The issue is a particularly sensitive one at Michigan State, which was once home to disgraced U.S.A. gymnastics physician Larry Nasser. Creg Stephenson | Cstephenson@al.com, al, 10 Sep. 2023 Another price-of-fame subject, disgraced British fashion designer John Galliano, is a trickier prospect that does the director no favors. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Sep. 2023 The Jeep did not disgrace itself at the Rovers North Off-Road school either, despite being outfitted in upscale Limited trim. Martin Padgett Jr., Car and Driver, 2 Aug. 2023
Noun
Gino Torretta won over Marshall Faulk, which was a disgrace. Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Nov. 2023 Clark Edgeware is an archaeologist in disgrace, Riley Rhodes is a curse breaker on the rise, and the infamous Scottish castle they’ve both been hired to investigate is the battleground. Olivia Waite, New York Times, 31 Oct. 2023 In this place, no one called him racist, or a disgrace, or sinvergüenza — someone without shame — for ignoring calls to step down in the wake ofa scandal that drew nationwide condemnation. Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2023 That’s an increasingly untenable position, and has been a disgrace since news of the Malley probe first broke. The Editors, National Review, 27 Sep. 2023 The front-runner in the majority of polls by a whisper of a margin is Robert Fico, 59, a populist former prime minister who was forced out of power in disgrace five years ago and has made a comeback bid in a conspiracy theory-laden campaign, laced with pro-Russian and anti-American discourse. Ladka Bauerova, Washington Post, 30 Sep. 2023 It may be related to the departures of two of the architects of the modern iteration of the club: Marc Overmars, the former sporting director, who left in disgrace, and Edwin van der Sar, the longstanding chief executive, who did not. Rory Smith, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2023 The president's son is a disgrace to our great nation. Erica Brown, CBS News, 13 Sep. 2023 In 1865, Governor Evans was forced to resign in disgrace, according to the petition. Alaa Elassar, CNN, 16 Sep. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'disgrace.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

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

First Known Use

Verb

1580, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Noun

1586, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of disgrace was in 1580

Dictionary Entries Near disgrace

Cite this Entry

“Disgrace.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disgrace. Accessed 28 Nov. 2023.

Kids Definition

disgrace

1 of 2 verb
dis·​grace dis-ˈgrās How to pronounce disgrace (audio)
disgraced; disgracing
: to bring shame to
disgracer noun

disgrace

2 of 2 noun
1
: the condition of being looked down on : loss of respect
in disgrace with one's schoolmates
2
: dishonor entry 1 sense 1, shame
the disgrace of being a coward
3
: a cause of shame
that person's manners are a disgrace
disgraceful
dis-ˈgrās-fəl
adjective
disgracefully
-fə-lē
adverb
disgracefulness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on disgrace

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