mortification

noun

mor·​ti·​fi·​ca·​tion ˌmȯr-tə-fə-ˈkā-shən 

1

a

: a sense of humiliation and shame caused by something that wounds one's pride or self-respect

the mortification of being jilted by a little boarding-school girl

—Washington Irving

b

: the cause of such humiliation or shame

2

: necrosis, gangrene

3

: the subjection and denial of bodily passions and appetites by abstinence or self-inflicted pain or discomfort

was customary to practice mortification during Lent

Synonyms

• abashment
• confusion
• discomfiture
• disconcertment
• embarrassment
• fluster

Examples of mortification in a Sentence

the mortification of being dumped the night before the prom

Recent Examples on the Web

Oldman’s face, set in brooding concentration, evokes a pained, vaguely incredulous mortification, which builds to a bitter, almost paralyzing ruefulness. —Houman Barekat, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025

Hong again employs the long table-time takes that have witnessed the mortification of so many drunken characters, this time skewering Donghwa. —Nicolas Rapold, Deadline, 20 Feb. 2025

Whetstone said the power was with the poster and encouraged her mother to be remorseful, express mortification with her actions and work to make amends. —Dan Perry, Newsweek, 31 Jan. 2025

Blanding is suing for damages such as stress, humiliation, embarrassment, outrage, mental anguish, fear and mortification, as well as emotional, economic and non-economic damages. —Charmaine Patterson, People.com, 29 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Phrases Containing mortification

• self-mortification

Rhymes for mortification

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• adulteration

Medical Definition

mortification

noun

mor·​ti·​fi·​ca·​tion ˌmȯrt-ə-fə-ˈkā-shən 

: local death of tissue in the animal body : necrosis, gangrene