indignity

noun

in·dig·ni·ty | \ in-ˈdig-nə-tē

plural indignities

Definition of indignity

1a : 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

Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about indignity

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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 on the Web

As part of her arrest and then punishment in a subarctic climate in Siberia, Khachatryan endured horrible indignities. — Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, "A Stalin-era Gulag survivor never saw her husband again. USA TODAY found him.," 14 June 2018 The party suffered another indignity this election season: independents — those voters registered to no political party at all — surpassed Republicans in registration numbers Friday, reducing the GOP to third-party status. — Washington Post, "California, long a blue state, could get bluer in primary," 4 June 2018 But in Season 2, Serena began trying to reform the system from within, her internal conflict growing with each new indignity suffered. — Jennifer Vineyard, New York Times, "‘The Handmaid’s Tale’: Yvonne Strahovski on the Harrowing Finale and Serena’s Murky Future," 11 July 2018 The shared experiences on TAM in a way are a call to action to never allow anyone - especially the marginalized in our society - to suffer such indignity ever again. — Mark Holgate, Vogue, "The AIDS Memorial On Instagram Has Become A Must Read Remembrance Of Those We've Lost," 28 June 2018 Under the court’s Trump-specific analysis, just about any official indignity that unduly burdens the lives of minorities or marginalized groups within our borders may well be tolerated. — Cristian Farias, Daily Intelligencer, "It’s Donald Trump’s Supreme Court Now," 26 June 2018 Imbecility in the government; discord among the provinces; foreign influence and indignities; a precarious existence in peace, and peculiar calamities from war. — Chris Stirewalt, Fox News, "GOP repeats ObamaCare mistakes on immigration," 18 June 2018 Everything had become such an effort for him: his breathing, his insomnia, and all the additional threescore-and-ten indignities. — David Denby, The New Yorker, "Leonard Bernstein Through His Daughter’s Eyes," 16 June 2018 The story is a sad but funny meditation on mortality and the indignities of aging flesh. — Michael Berry, San Francisco Chronicle, "Science fiction and fantasy books: ‘Belly Up,’ ‘What Should Be Wild,’ ‘84K’," 7 June 2018

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.