opprobrium

American  

[uh-proh-bree-uhm] / əˈproʊ bri əm /

noun

1. the disgrace or the reproach incurred by conduct considered outrageously shameful; infamy.

2. a cause or object of such disgrace or reproach.

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opprobrium British  

/ əˈprəʊbrɪəm /

noun

1. the state of being abused or scornfully criticized

2. reproach or censure

3. a cause of disgrace or ignominy

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Etymology

Origin of opprobrium

1650–60; < Latin: reproach, equivalent to op- op- + probr ( um ) infamy, disgrace + -ium -ium

Explanation

If you go against or oppose what's good, you might earn opprobrium — the opposite of getting attention for something good. Bad behavior leads to opprobrium. If you throw a soft drink off the theater balcony, the opprobrium might keep you from getting dates to the movies. Even though the words aren't related, the "opp-" of the word opprobrium sounds a bit like the "app" part of "inappropriate." Opprobrium isn't an action that leads to disgrace, it's something that comes from the inappropriate thing that was done. A very inappropriate act leads to opprobrium for the person who did the act. "Infamy" — extreme dishonor, often with lasting consequences — is a synonym for opprobrium.

Example Sentences

The opprobrium that ensued in the course of a shamelessly one-sided trial shredded their reputations, cost them their jobs and led to an incurable banishment from public life.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

This has been met with nervousness and opprobrium among Greenlanders - both on the world's largest island and elsewhere.

From BBC • Jan. 7, 2026

For that reason, I’m constantly amazed and grateful, given that this column relies on people sharing their stories and risking opprobrium from strangers by asking for advice.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 23, 2025

And the old political playbook — confession, contrition, capitulation — is obviously no longer operative, as candidates find it not only possible but even advantageous to brazen their way through storms of uproar and opprobrium.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 30, 2025

In holding them up to public scorn the rich and varied vocabulary of odium and opprobrium was exhausted.

From Money: Speech of Hon. John P. Jones, of Nevada, On the Free Coinage of Silver; in the United States Senate, May 12 and 13, 1890 by Jones, John P. (John Percival)

Related Words

• ignominy
• infamy