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
Where would a collapse in the Finals from coming home up 2-0 to ultimately squander the series rank in the pantheon of Knicks’ indignities?
—Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 11 June 2026
Galitzine embraces the indignity.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2026
The video features Bloodwerk’s Ned Brower — formerly of Rooney, currently Nurse Jesse on The Pitt — suffering a litany of indignities at the hands of rowdy restaurant patrons.
—Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 2 June 2026
Freedom, for most people, meant a stable existence free of poverty and its indignities.
—Wyatt Williams, Harpers Magazine, 2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for indignity
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Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 11 June 2026
Galitzine embraces the indignity.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2026
The video features Bloodwerk’s Ned Brower — formerly of Rooney, currently Nurse Jesse on The Pitt — suffering a litany of indignities at the hands of rowdy restaurant patrons.
—Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 2 June 2026
Freedom, for most people, meant a stable existence free of poverty and its indignities.
—Wyatt Williams, Harpers Magazine, 2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for indignity
Cite this Entry
“Indignity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/indignity. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
