ignominious

adjective

ˌig-nə-ˈmi-nē-əs How to pronounce ignominious (audio)
Definition of ignominiousnext
1
as in notorious
not respectable some of his friends considered the low-level job to be an ignominious fate for the laid-off executive

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in vile
not following or in accordance with standards of honor and decency the prison guards degraded themselves with their inhumane, ignominious treatment of the prisoners

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ignominious What was seen as the injustice of her ignominious end on the gallows was at least one factor of many that propelled a move to war. — Literary Hub, 26 May 2026 Everlane is not the only relic of the ethical consumption era to find itself in ignominious circumstances. — Phil Wahba, Fortune, 23 May 2026 In doing so, the TV adaptation fumbled the comics’ superior final act, turning Butcher’s own ignominious death at the hands of Hughie into an ineffective afterthought. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 20 May 2026 The first of such occurrences in nearly two years, this marks an ignominious milestone and potential turning point in Moscow’s years-long invasion effort. — Rafi Schwartz, TheWeek, 20 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for ignominious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ignominious
  1. notorious
  2. vile
  3. infamous
  4. nasty
  5. criminal
  6. dirty
  7. shady
  8. ignoble
Adjective
  • Age verifications and parental controls come with notorious loopholes.
    — Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 30 Aug. 2026
  • The tariffs are notorious among economists and historians for shutting down world commerce and making the Great Depression worse.
    — Paul Wiseman, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of notorious
Adjective
  • Disgusted that any adult would ever consider exploiting a child in such a vile and predatory way.
    — Bryan Lynn, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026
  • His tenure came to an end when video surfaced of a drunken Galliano berating other customers at a Paris bar with vile antisemitic insults.
    — Greg Evans, Deadline, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of vile
Adjective
  • Broadway-loving teens will fall madly in love with this 2001 musical classic about the infamous French nightclub, its star performer Satine, and her poem-writing love Christian—Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor in two of their best roles.
    — Kara Nesvig, Parents, 29 Aug. 2026
  • When the Obama Presidential Center opened in Chicago earlier this year, many people expected former President Obama’s infamous tan suit to be on display.
    — August 29, NPR, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of infamous
Adjective
  • Minneola City Councilman David Yeager’s efforts to annex his new home into the city earlier this summer sparked a nasty debate on the council that led to two members being censured last week for incivility.
    — James Wilkins, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Working with a nasty four-pitch mix, Bradley struck out six over four innings before achieving the feat in the fifth.
    — Dan Hayes, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of nasty
Adjective
  • Jacobs was formally charged Thursday with misdemeanor battery and misdemeanor criminal damage to property, stemming from the May 23 incident at his home near Green Bay.
    — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The bill brings state fireworks licensing requirements in line with federal ones by expanding the list of criminal convictions that make applicants ineligible for fireworks licenses.
    — Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of criminal
Adjective
  • The dogs, according to the charges, had dirty water and their fur was stained with urine and feces.
    — Post-Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Fourth, the handle needed to be patterned for a secure grip even in dirty, wet conditions, so checkering or deep ribbing was added to the alloy metal.
    — David Szondy August 30, New Atlas, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of dirty
Adjective
  • But for now, CyberLeek is trying to monetize the GTA 6 leaks by asking for shady donations.
    — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Others sat in shady spots on Montrose Avenue where the parade units combined with waiting community groups to end the parade at the festival grounds.
    — Karie Angell Luc, Chicago Tribune, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of shady
Adjective
  • The prizes’ name is a reference to Ignatius (Ig) Nobel—a fictional character said to be a distant cousin of Swedish inventor and industrialist Alfred Nobel, for whom the Nobel Prizes are named—and is also a pun on the word ignoble.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Aug. 2026
  • This is an ignoble war making monsters and fools out of its participants, and against the uncontrollable weapons that are dragons, everyone’s resolve is crumbling.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 18 June 2026
Definition of ignoble

Browse Nearby Words

ignominies
ignominious
ignominy
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Cite this Entry

“Ignominious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ignominious. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All