ignominy

noun

ig·​no·​mi·​ny ˈig-nə-ˌmi-nē How to pronounce ignominy (audio)
-mə-nē,
 also  ig-ˈnä-mə-nē
plural ignominies
1
: deep personal humiliation and disgrace
2
: disgraceful or dishonorable conduct, quality, or action
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 And those losses were rough, mostly bitterly close contests that included the ignominy of falling to Cal State Northridge at Pauley Pavilion, 76-72. Mirjam Swanson, Orange County Register, 28 Jan. 2024 Commodore quickly went bankrupt, and Ali vanished into obscurity and died in ignominy. Jeremy Reimer, Ars Technica, 17 Jan. 2023 Her last year may have ended in ignominy, yet a scarcely conceivable afterlife of love and appreciation awaited her, had she but known it. Elizabeth Barber, Harper's Magazine, 2 Feb. 2024 And suffered one final post-mortem ignominy by a fellow duck. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 5 June 2023 The political press has been on a recent tear of ignominy lately. Jason Linkins, The New Republic, 4 Nov. 2023 The loss continued a season of ignominy for the Toreros, who fell to 1-6, 1-3 in the Pioneer Football League, clinching USD’s first losing season since 2010. Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Oct. 2023 In recent years, however, Acapulco has acquired a reputation as a faded haunt plagued by drug cartels and gang shootouts — even attaining the ignominy of being Mexico’s murder capital for a few years, though police say crime is down and other cities have assumed that inauspicious label. Patrick J. McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 13 Nov. 2023 The fiesta ended as all good parties should: in shame, debauchery, ignominy and tears. Aatish Taseer, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ignominy.' 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

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

1540, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of ignominy was in 1540

Dictionary Entries Near ignominy

Cite this Entry

“Ignominy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ignominy. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

ignominy

noun
ig·​no·​mi·​ny ˈig-nə-ˌmin-ē How to pronounce ignominy (audio)
ig-ˈnäm-ə-nē
plural ignominies
: deep humiliation and disgrace

More from Merriam-Webster on ignominy

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