disgraceful
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of disgraceful
Explanation
Anything disgraceful is shameful or shocking. No matter how angry you are at your younger sister, it would be disgraceful to destroy the Lego creation she painstakingly built. The adjective disgraceful is good for describing completely unacceptable behavior — if you do something disgraceful, you should feel ashamed about it. The internment of Americans of Japanese descent during World War II was a disgraceful episode in U.S. history. The word comes from the verb disgrace, "bring shame or reproach upon" or "a loss of grace."
Vocabulary lists containing disgraceful
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Disgraceful doesn’t even begin to describe the affront to their bravery and sacrifice.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 19, 2025
"Disgraceful," tweeted Adele McClure, executive director of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus.
From Washington Post • Apr. 6, 2021
"Sex and the City" star Sarah Jessica Parker called the display "Unimaginable" and "Disgraceful" in a tweet to her fans.
From Fox News • Jan. 8, 2021
"Disgraceful - but nothing will erase for an instant the legacy John McCain has written and is still writing every day," McCain wrote on Twitter.
From Salon • Aug. 14, 2018
Disgraceful treatment of the passengers, who are obliged to go forward to smoke pipes, while the steamer herself is allowed 2 Smoke Pipes amidships.
From The Complete Works of Artemus Ward — Part 6: Artemus Ward's Panorama by Ward, Artemus
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
