dishonor

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noun dis·hon·or \ (ˌ)dis-ˈä-nər also (ˌ)diz- \

Definition of dishonor

1 :lack or loss of honor or reputation

2 :the state of one who has lost honor or prestige :shame

has brought dishonor on his family

3 :a cause of disgrace

4 :the nonpayment or nonacceptance of commercial paper by the party on whom it is drawn

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dishonorer

play \-ˈän-ər-ər\ noun

See dishonor defined for English-language learners

See dishonor defined for kids

Examples of dishonor in a Sentence

warriors who choose death before dishonor
He is afraid that his confession will bring dishonor on the family.

Recent Examples of dishonor from the Web

Violence between the lines is often accompanied by the dishonor of violence against women and other brutal off-the-field incidents, which often go unpunished by the league.

— vann r. newkirk ii, The Atlantic, "No Country for Colin Kaepernick," 11 Aug. 2017
While many worthy competitors stepped into the arena for a chance at fame, glory and dishonor, there could be only one champion.

— michael harriot, The Root, "It’s Official: White Allies Are the Worst Wypipo in the World," 3 Aug. 2017
Emmett Till and generations of unnamed martyrs don’t deserve that dishonor.

— christine m. flowers, Philly.com, "Another noose: It's fair to question the real motive," 9 July 2017
Casting contempt, dishonor or ridicule upon the national anthem is considered a violation of the law.

— joshua berlinger, CNN, "Philippines bill proposes jail time for unenthusiastic anthem singers," 28 June 2017
In 2000, the United Nations estimated that each year 5,000 women are killed by relatives for supposedly bringing dishonor upon their families.

— mirren gidda, Newsweek, "Women Are Dying in Overseas Honor Killings, and No One Knows How Bad the Problem Is," 3 May 2017
He is said to have thought that the girls, ages 17 and 18, were bringing dishonor on him by breaking with Muslim customs.

— susan steade, The Mercury News, "FBI’s Ten Most Wanted: Who’s on the list after new addition," 19 Apr. 2017
Such dishonor among thieves now seems less likely, at least in the short term.

— eugene robinson, The Mercury News, "Robinson: Trump’s options in Syria are all bad," 11 Apr. 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of dishonor

Middle English dishonour, from Anglo-French deshonur, from des- dis- + honur honor

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First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

dishonor Synonyms

Synonyms

discredit, disesteem, disgrace, 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 dishonor

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

dishonor

verb

Definition of dishonor

transitive verb

1 a :to treat in a degrading manner

b :to bring shame on

2 :to refuse to accept or pay (something, such as a bill or check)

See dishonor defined for English-language learners

Examples of dishonor in a Sentence

She dishonored her oath of office.
The bank dishonored my check.

Recent Examples of dishonor from the Web

Jorah infamously dishonored his family by illegally selling poachers as slaves (which happens before the show).

— erica gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Jorah Doesn't Know That Jon Snow Has a Mormont Family Heirloom," 15 Aug. 2017
To choose anything else would dishonor my ancestral legacy.

— brianna wellen, Chicago Reader, "Food & Drink / The Contrarian A hot dog with ketchup is delicious—even in Chicago," 9 Aug. 2017
To gloss over that, or not recognize it, does not simply dishonor the memory of Hemings.

— michael harriot, The Root, "Dear NBC: A Slave Cannot Be a ‘Mistress’," 8 July 2017
A being so gentle and so virtuous, slander might wound but could not dishonor.

— lorraine boissoneault, Smithsonian, "Rachel Jackson, the Scandalous Divorcee Who Almost Became First Lady," 16 June 2017
Giving up on this season in the name of a fire sale doesn’t dishonor any of that.

— sam mellinger, kansascity.com, "Mellinger Minutes: Chiefs, Maclin, Royals & a rule that could’ve saved Bill Snyder," 6 June 2017
Please don't dishonor their valor by not respecting that others also have the right to disagree with your opinion.

— kitty conley, Post-Tribune, "Kitty Conley's Scratching Post," 5 June 2017

First Known Use of dishonor

13th century

dishonor Synonyms

Synonyms

abase, chasten, cheapen, debase, degrade, demean, discredit, disgrace, humble, 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

DISHONOR Defined for English Language Learners

dishonor

play

noun

Definition of dishonor for English Language Learners

: loss or lack of honor : damage to your reputation and loss of respect from other people

dishonor

verb

Definition of dishonor for English Language Learners

: to cause (someone or something) to lose honor : to cause (someone or something) to no longer be respected
: to fail to do what is required by (a promise, contract, etc.) : to fail to honor (something)
of a bank : to refuse to give out the money promised by (a check)

DISHONOR Defined for Kids

dishonor

play

noun dis·hon·or \ dis-ˈä-nər \

Definition of dishonor for Students

1 :loss of honor or good name

He felt retreat would bring dishonor.

2 :a cause of disgrace

Her failure was a family dishonor.

dishonor

verb

Definition of dishonor for Students

dishonored; dishonoring

:to bring shame on :disgrace

He dishonored his parents.

Law Dictionary

dishonor

noun dis·hon·or

legal Definition of dishonor

:refusal on the part of the issuer (as a bank) to pay or accept commercial paper (as a check) when it is presented — see also wrongful dishonor

dishonor

transitive verb

legal Definition of dishonor

:to refuse to pay or accept

a bank dishonoring the checks for insufficient funds

Learn More about dishonor

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for dishonor Spanish Central: Translation of dishonor Nglish: Translation of dishonor for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of dishonor for Arabic speakers

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dishonor

Definition of dishonor

dishonorer

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Examples of dishonor in a Sentence

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Origin and Etymology of dishonor

dishonor Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Synonym Discussion of dishonor

dishonor

Definition of dishonor

Examples of dishonor in a Sentence

Recent Examples of dishonor from the Web

First Known Use of dishonor

dishonor Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Phrases Related to DISHONOR

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DISHONOR Defined for English Language Learners

dishonor

Definition of dishonor for English Language Learners

dishonor

Definition of dishonor for English Language Learners

DISHONOR Defined for Kids

dishonor

Definition of dishonor for Students

dishonor

Definition of dishonor for Students

Law Dictionary

dishonor

legal Definition of dishonor

dishonor

legal Definition of dishonor

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