dishonorable
Americanadjective
-
showing lack of honor or integrity; ignoble; base; disgraceful; shameful.
Cheating is dishonorable.
-
having no honor or good repute; unprincipled; disreputable.
a dishonorable man.
- Synonyms:
- ignominious, scandalous, disgraceful, unscrupulous, infamous
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of dishonorable
Explanation
Something dishonorable is embarrassing or shameful. If you get a dishonorable report card, it probably means your grades could've been better. The adjective dishonorable often describes a soldier's discharge from the military — a dishonorable discharge means the enlisted member has been found guilty of a crime by a court martial. Its opposite is an honorable discharge, when a solider in good standing leaves the military. You act with dishonorable behavior when you bully someone or act cruelly. Honorable comes from the same Latin root as honor, honorem, "dignity or reputation," and dis- here means "lack of."
Vocabulary lists containing dishonorable
Negative Words to Describe a Person
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Unit 2: Pivotal Words and Phrases
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A Thousand Splendid Suns
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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.
Article 133 covers dishonorable conduct, while Article 134 is the catchall provision criminalizing conduct that is harmful to good order and discipline or brings discredit on the armed forces.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 5, 2026
The punishment can include confinement in the brig, forfeiture of pay or dishonorable discharge and it is largely based on how long they were away and whether they were apprehended or returned on their own.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 19, 2023
When Texas officials learned of the warrants, they took Ceja into custody, and the deputy resigned and was given a dishonorable discharge, according to the sheriff’s office.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 16, 2023
Retired U.S. officers told the Times of their surprise that a soldier planned and took such a life-changing action to avoid a punishment unlikely to be sterner than dishonorable discharge.
From Washington Times • Jul. 19, 2023
“It would be grand—going out with the bang of a dishonorable dismissal.”
From "Lyddie" by Katherine Paterson
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.
