indignity
noun
in·dig·ni·ty
in-ˈdig-nə-tē 
plural indignities
1
a
: an act or occurrence that offends against a person's dignity or self-respect : insult
… every little indignity that ever happened to them, and every two-bit feud, magnified …—
Wilfred Sheed
Wilfred Sheed
b
: humiliating treatment
… a buccal swab, which involves a brief and minimal intrusion … does not increase the indignity already attendant to normal incidents of arrest.—Maryland v. King, 569 U.S. 435 (2013)
Maryland v. King, 569 U.S. 435 (2013)2
obsolete
: lack or loss of dignity or honor
Examples of indignity in a Sentence
He remembers all the indignities he had to suffer in the early years of his career.
We must endure the indignities of growing old.
He suffered the indignity of being forced to leave the courtroom.
The indignity of it all was too much to bear.
Recent Examples on the Web
After being delivered one too many indignities, Ziggy snaps and takes out his partner in a fit of rage.
—Jack Dunn, Variety, 21 Dec. 2025
But to discover yourself outpaced by a reality that bears an uncanny resemblance to your own fiction seems to be a particularly painful indignity to bear, a kind of spiritual ransacking.
—Literary Hub, 18 Dec. 2025
In the show’s tapestry of human indignity and grievance, his saga is just one thread among many.
—Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
Accompanying these brutal game logs has been a parade of other indignities.
—Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 24 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for indignity
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Jack Dunn, Variety, 21 Dec. 2025
But to discover yourself outpaced by a reality that bears an uncanny resemblance to your own fiction seems to be a particularly painful indignity to bear, a kind of spiritual ransacking.
—Literary Hub, 18 Dec. 2025
In the show’s tapestry of human indignity and grievance, his saga is just one thread among many.
—Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
Accompanying these brutal game logs has been a parade of other indignities.
—Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 24 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for indignity
Cite this Entry
“Indignity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/indignity. Accessed 30 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
indignity
noun
in·dig·ni·ty
in-ˈdig-nət-ē
plural indignities
1
: an act that injures a person's dignity or self-respect : insult
2
: humiliating treatment
Legal Definition
indignity
noun
in·dig·ni·ty
in-ˈdig-nə-tē
plural indignities
: persistent and intolerable behavior toward a spouse especially as a manifestation of settled estrangement
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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