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
Many major painters get the same treatment these days, but Vermeer has more than most to lose from the indignity, because of the mysterious tensions in his work that are not there for the selling.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
Big Mistakes opens with the sounds of Laurie Metcalf bellowing about the indignities of death.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2026
America’s allies in Europe and Asia took the indignity of unilateral tariff increases with relatively little retaliation.
—Idrees Kahloon, The Atlantic, 5 Apr. 2026
Her indignities are nothing compared with Nightingale’s.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for indignity
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Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
Big Mistakes opens with the sounds of Laurie Metcalf bellowing about the indignities of death.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2026
America’s allies in Europe and Asia took the indignity of unilateral tariff increases with relatively little retaliation.
—Idrees Kahloon, The Atlantic, 5 Apr. 2026
Her indignities are nothing compared with Nightingale’s.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 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 23 Apr. 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
