indignity

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noun in·dig·ni·ty \ in-ˈdig-nə-tē \

Definition of indignity

plural indignities

1 a :an act that offends against a person's dignity or self-respect :insult

b :humiliating treatment

2 obsolete :lack or loss of dignity or honor

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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 of indignity from the Web

The last indignity would have been serious injury news about Homer Bailey.

— zach buchanan, Cincinnati.com, "Homer Bailey leaves with shoulder issue, but isn’t worried," 23 Aug. 2017
Despite the indignity of his dismissal, Lewandowski never really stopped being a Trump mouthpiece.

— callum borchers, Washington Post, "America needs Sean Spicer on ‘Dancing With the Stars’," 27 July 2017
Until Friday though, Spicer endured, the final indignity being the hiring of hedge funder Anthony Scaramucci as White House communications director.

— adam k. raymond, Daily Intelligencer, "All the Indignities Sean Spicer Endured Before Finally Quitting the White House," 21 July 2017
Ryan Bates can normally be found behind the scenes as executive director of Michigan United, a statewide organization that fights injustice and indignities.

— allie gross, Detroit Free Press, "Michigan families say we still need Obamacare," 5 July 2017
In her new collection of 13 stories, the indignities of aging, friends reuniting, loneliness, and travel are common threads.

— ann beattie, Philly.com, "Ann Beattie: Master of the contemporary story," 2 July 2017
The end of the show’s Season 5 finale was a carnival of indignity that found the now-former president thoroughly laid low, forced to listen to the inaugural exercises of the first woman to have been elected, rather than fated, to the presidency.

— megan garber, The Atlantic, "The Most Pessimistic Episode of Veep Yet," 26 June 2017
So Alabama had the better basketball season and Auburn the better baseball season, but each suffered the indignity of getting swept by its rival in the midst of a lesser season.

— kevin scarbinsky, AL.com, "AL.com All-Access: An Alabama-Auburn rivalry question for the ages," 19 June 2017
Muslim activists say many local Muslims suffer daily indignities that go unreported.

— marcos bretón, sacbee.com, "She admitted she trashed a mosque as a sick taunt. She got probation. How is that justice?," 16 June 2017

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