dis·hon·or
(ˌ)dis-ˈä-nər 
also (ˌ)diz-
1
: lack or loss of honor or reputation
2
: the state of one who has lost honor or prestige : shame
has brought dishonor on his family
3
: a cause of disgrace
4
: the nonpayment or nonacceptance of commercial paper by the party on whom it is drawn
dishonored; dishonoring; dishonors
1
a
: to treat in a degrading manner
b
: to bring shame on
2
: to refuse to accept or pay (something, such as a bill or check)
Synonyms
Examples of dishonor in a Sentence
Noun
warriors who choose death before dishonor
He is afraid that his confession will bring dishonor on the family.
Verb
She dishonored her oath of office.
The bank dishonored my check.
Recent Examples on the Web
Michael Washburn, National Review, 31 Dec. 2023
Marrying her, a divorcée who already has a child, would bring dishonor on his family.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 11 Oct. 2023
Mosquitoes are not a new nuisance in the City of Angels: Los Angeles landed first on pest control company Orkin’s Top 50 Mosquito Cities list this year, a dishonor the city’s held for three years running.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2023
Suffice it to say that those who most loved Allende dismiss any suggestion that the great man’s end was stained by the dishonor—the cowardice, even—supposedly represented by suicide.
—Jonathan Dee, The New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2023
The story revolves around Augusto Pinochet who is not dead but an aged vampire who, after 250 years in this world, has decided to die once and for all, due to ailments brought about by his dishonor and family conflicts.
—Michaela Zee, Variety, 30 Aug. 2023
The President’s blatant prioritization of partisan political considerations at the expense of our national security, military modernization, and force readiness is a disservice and a dishonor to his oath of office as our nation’s Commander-in-Chief.
—Lee Roop | Lroop@al.com, al, 31 July 2023
Richard Nixon would have beaten Trump to the dishonor of the first presidential indictment had Gerald Ford not pardoned Nixon to expressly prevent it.
—Matt Ford, The New Republic, 13 June 2023
Wonder Land: As former PGA Tour professionals follow the money to LIV, the new Saudi golf league has the sport talking about scandal, dishonor and murder (06/15/22).
—Armin Rosen, WSJ, 8 June 2023
USA TODAY, 17 Feb. 2024
If police everywhere have to be denigrated because a small minority of officers dishonor their badges, that’s perfectly alright, too.
—Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 21 Jan. 2024
To elect a dictator is to dishonor their memories and sacrifices.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 14 Jan. 2024
But even those thoughts might dishonor the Nicki Minaj whom the public has come to know.
—Hanif Abdurraqib, The New Yorker, 20 Dec. 2023
People in the West who don’t understand all this, or who do understand it and choose to excuse it, are dishonoring the very principles that all progressive people are duty bound to defend.
—Michael Tomasky, The New Republic, 13 Oct. 2023
Often the laws may not prevent present-day acts like dishonoring of religious texts.
—Armin Langer, The Conversation, 29 Aug. 2023
During his time in office, Trump said changing the names ignored the history of the military sites and dishonored the troops serving there.
—Andrea Salcedo, Washington Post, 2 June 2023
Yifei Liu's Mulan weighs dishonoring her family vs. saving her father (Tzi Ma) and defending the country from invaders, and the tale is an eye-popping fantasy adventure about embracing one's self. 4.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 27 May 2023
Noun
To lose, and become a prisoner, was to incur dishonor.
—Michael Washburn, National Review, 31 Dec. 2023
Marrying her, a divorcée who already has a child, would bring dishonor on his family.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 11 Oct. 2023
Mosquitoes are not a new nuisance in the City of Angels: Los Angeles landed first on pest control company Orkin’s Top 50 Mosquito Cities list this year, a dishonor the city’s held for three years running.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2023
Suffice it to say that those who most loved Allende dismiss any suggestion that the great man’s end was stained by the dishonor—the cowardice, even—supposedly represented by suicide.
—Jonathan Dee, The New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2023
The story revolves around Augusto Pinochet who is not dead but an aged vampire who, after 250 years in this world, has decided to die once and for all, due to ailments brought about by his dishonor and family conflicts.
—Michaela Zee, Variety, 30 Aug. 2023
The President’s blatant prioritization of partisan political considerations at the expense of our national security, military modernization, and force readiness is a disservice and a dishonor to his oath of office as our nation’s Commander-in-Chief.
—Lee Roop | Lroop@al.com, al, 31 July 2023
Richard Nixon would have beaten Trump to the dishonor of the first presidential indictment had Gerald Ford not pardoned Nixon to expressly prevent it.
—Matt Ford, The New Republic, 13 June 2023
Wonder Land: As former PGA Tour professionals follow the money to LIV, the new Saudi golf league has the sport talking about scandal, dishonor and murder (06/15/22).
—Armin Rosen, WSJ, 8 June 2023
Verb
Voting for Biden would be dishonoring all those who have died.
—USA TODAY, 17 Feb. 2024
If police everywhere have to be denigrated because a small minority of officers dishonor their badges, that’s perfectly alright, too.
—Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 21 Jan. 2024
To elect a dictator is to dishonor their memories and sacrifices.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 14 Jan. 2024
But even those thoughts might dishonor the Nicki Minaj whom the public has come to know.
—Hanif Abdurraqib, The New Yorker, 20 Dec. 2023
People in the West who don’t understand all this, or who do understand it and choose to excuse it, are dishonoring the very principles that all progressive people are duty bound to defend.
—Michael Tomasky, The New Republic, 13 Oct. 2023
Often the laws may not prevent present-day acts like dishonoring of religious texts.
—Armin Langer, The Conversation, 29 Aug. 2023
During his time in office, Trump said changing the names ignored the history of the military sites and dishonored the troops serving there.
—Andrea Salcedo, Washington Post, 2 June 2023
Yifei Liu's Mulan weighs dishonoring her family vs. saving her father (Tzi Ma) and defending the country from invaders, and the tale is an eye-popping fantasy adventure about embracing one's self. 4.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 27 May 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dishonor.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Phrases Containing dishonor
Dictionary Entries Near dishonor
Cite this Entry
“Dishonor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dishonor. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
dishonor
1 of 2 noun
dis·hon·or
(ˈ)dis-ˈän-ər
1
: loss of honor or good name
2
: the state of one who has lost honor
3
: a cause of disgrace
dishonor
2 of 2 verb1
: to bring shame on : disgrace
2
: to refuse to accept or pay (as a check)
dishonorer
noun
Legal Definition
dishonor
1 of 2 noun
dis·hon·or
: refusal on the part of the issuer (as a bank) to pay or accept commercial paper (as a check) when it is presented see also wrongful dishonor
dishonor
2 of 2 transitive verb
: to refuse to pay or accept
a bank dishonoring the checks for insufficient funds
More from Merriam-Webster on dishonor
Nglish: Translation of dishonor for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of dishonor for Arabic Speakers
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