ignominy

American  

[ig-nuh-min-ee, ig-nom-uh-nee] / ˈɪg nəˌmɪn i, ɪgˈnɒm ə ni /

noun

plural

ignominies

1. disgrace; dishonor; public contempt.

   Synonyms:

   opprobrium, obloquy, shame, discredit, disrepute

   Antonyms:

   honor, credit

2. shameful or dishonorable quality or conduct or an instance of this.

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ignominy British  

/ ˈɪɡnəˌmɪnɪ /

noun

1. disgrace or public shame; dishonour

2. a cause of disgrace; a shameful act

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Related Words

See disgrace.

Other Word Forms

• ignominious adjective
• ignominiously adverb
• ignominiousness noun

Etymology

Origin of ignominy

1530–40; < Latin ignōminia, equivalent to ig- (for in- in- ³, apparently by association with ignōbilis ignoble, ignōtus unknown, etc.; cognomen ) + nōmin- (stem of nōmen ) name + -ia -y ³

Example Sentences

Covered for the ignominy of his historically woeful four-for-51 hitting performance.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026

Should they throw caution to the winds and try to bring in a full-time appointment now to save their season from the ignominy of relegation?

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

Instead, back-to-back defeats by Scotland and Ireland have left them fighting to regain momentum and avoid the ignominy of historic low.

From BBC • Mar. 2, 2026

Rather than ushering the victim to the next life, this shunts him further into obscurity and ignominy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 2, 2025

Growing up in a Victorian upper-class America in which reputation was social currency, he must have felt the sting of the family’s ignominy.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand