disgrace
Americannoun
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the loss of respect, honor, or esteem; ignominy; shame.
the disgrace of criminals.
- Synonyms:
- taint, notoriety, disapprobation, disapproval
- Antonyms:
- honor
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a person, act, or thing that causes shame, reproach, or dishonor or is dishonorable or shameful.
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the state of being out of favor; exclusion from favor, confidence, or trust.
courtiers and ministers in disgrace.
verb (used with object)
noun
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a condition of shame, loss of reputation, or dishonour
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a shameful person, thing, or state of affairs
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exclusion from confidence or trust
he is in disgrace with his father
verb
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to bring shame upon; be a discredit to
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to treat or cause to be treated with disfavour
Synonym Usage
Disgrace, dishonor, ignominy, infamy imply a very low position in the opinion of others. Disgrace implies the disfavor of others: to be in disgrace. Dishonor implies a stain on honor or honorable reputation; it relates especially to the person's own conduct: He preferred death to dishonor. Ignominy is disgrace in which one's situation invites contempt: the ignominy of being discovered cheating. Infamy is shameful notoriety, or baseness of action or character that is widely known and recognized: The children never outlived the father's infamy.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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disgracernoun
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predisgracenoun
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self-disgracenoun
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quasi-disgracedadjective
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self-disgracedadjective
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self-disgracingadjective
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undisgracedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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disgracesimple
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disgracessimple
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have disgracedperfect
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has disgracedperfect
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am disgracingprogressive
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are disgracingprogressive
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is disgracingprogressive
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have been disgracingperfect progressive
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has been disgracingperfect progressive
Past
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disgracedsimple
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had disgracedperfect
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was disgracingprogressive
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were disgracingprogressive
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had been disgracingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of disgrace
1540–50; (noun) < Middle French < Italian disgrazia, equivalent to dis- dis- 1 + grazia < Latin gratia ( see grace); (v.) < Middle French disgracier < Italian disgraziare, derivative of disgrazia
Explanation
Use the verb disgrace to say that someone has brought shame upon himself. Your brother might disgrace himself at the family reunion by being rude to your Uncle Bob. You probably notice that grace makes up a big part of disgrace. Combine this with the dis- prefix, meaning “the opposite of,” and you get a word that involves shame and dishonor. Think of disgrace as a kind of fall from grace — it’s what happens when you do something that causes you to lose favor or damages your reputation. You could disgrace yourself by losing your tennis match badly, or you could disgrace yourself by cheating on an exam.
Vocabulary lists containing disgrace
"The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet," Vocabulary from Act 1
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Excerpts from "The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet"
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"The Sporting Spirit"
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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.
When he did accept the post of White House economic adviser, he was not confirmed until after Nixon resigned in disgrace, and working for Gerald Ford.
From Barron's • Jun. 22, 2026
In fact, he’s constantly mired in scandal, shame and disgrace, and has been his entire life.
From Salon • May 31, 2026
As a result, disgrace today depends less on the act itself and more on how long it captures public attention.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026
Welsh Conservative Darren Millar said it was a "disgrace" that newly qualified paramedics had been told to look abroad for jobs as there were none in the Welsh NHS.
From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026
I am in disgrace, which is the opposite of grace.
From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood
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.
