undignified

adjective

un·​dig·​ni·​fied ˌən-ˈdig-nə-ˌfīd How to pronounce undignified (audio)
: not dignified : lacking in dignity or injurious to dignity
undignified behavior
She did not exactly fall, but she staggered and reeled across the room in a very undignified fashion …Lucy Maud Montgomery
… she could not get over the idea that to earn her living was somewhat undignifiedSomerset Maugham

Examples of undignified in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Yet some of us (the squares) find this distasteful—an undignified kind of life. Will Stephenson, Harper's Magazine, 16 Aug. 2023 That was enough foreshadowing for Reddington’s serene if slightly undignified demise at the horns of a bull in Spain, accepting his fate just as his longtime FBI contact Donald Ressler (Diego Klattenhoff) was bearing down on him. Brian Lowry, CNN, 14 July 2023 Until last year, traveling through La Guardia Airport was a deeply undignified experience. Curbed, 14 June 2023 For wheelchair users, taking a trip that involves flying can often be an undignified hassle. Clara McMichael, ABC News, 8 June 2023 While the White House was relatively swift to condemn Trump’s remarks as antisemitic, there was no flurry of similar sentiments from his colleagues, most of whom have striven to hold the position that Trump’s most hateful outbursts are best left undignified with a response. Meredith Shiner, The New Republic, 19 Oct. 2022 Jupiter’s pose is almost incomprehensible, his face concealed, his limbs flailing in different directions – very undignified, particularly for an oversize Olympian god. Monika Schmitter, Fortune, 21 Mar. 2023 The whole s--- was undignified. Derek Lawrence, EW.com, 9 Nov. 2021 The treatment was undignified. Hallie Miller, baltimoresun.com, 24 Dec. 2020 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'undignified.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1716, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of undignified was in 1716

Dictionary Entries Near undignified

Cite this Entry

“Undignified.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/undignified. Accessed 1 Oct. 2023.

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