opprobrium
Americannoun
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the disgrace or the reproach incurred by conduct considered outrageously shameful; infamy.
-
a cause or object of such disgrace or reproach.
noun
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the state of being abused or scornfully criticized
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reproach or censure
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a cause of disgrace or ignominy
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.
Vocabulary lists containing opprobrium
Frankenstein
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Jane Eyre
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100 SAT words Beginning with "O"
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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.
Opprobrium has instead been directed on Mallya's 25-year-old son Siddhartha, known as Sid, who has been groomed as the tycoon's successor at the head of the family business.
From The Guardian • Nov. 12, 2012
Master of Opprobrium, in recognition of the special mission that Vice President Spiro Agnew is performing with such relish?
From Time Magazine Archive
Opprobrium has set her indelible mark upon me!
From Anna St. Ives by Holcroft, Thomas
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.
