ignominious

[ ig-nuh-min-ee-uhs ]

/ ˌɪg nəˈmɪn i əs /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ignominious ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

marked by or attended with ignominy; discreditable; humiliating: an ignominious retreat.

bearing or deserving ignominy; contemptible.

Nearby words

Origin of ignominious

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English word from Latin word ignōminiōsus. See ignominy, -ous

SYNONYMS FOR ignominious

1. degrading, disgraceful, dishonorable, shameful. 2. despicable, ignoble.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ignominious ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

ig·no·min·i·ous·ly, adverbig·no·min·i·ous·ness, nounnon·ig·no·min·i·ous, adjectivenon·ig·no·min·i·ous·ly, adverb

non·ig·no·min·i·ous·ness, nounun·ig·no·min·i·ous, adjectiveun·ig·no·min·i·ous·ly, adverbun·ig·no·min·i·ous·ness, noun

Examples from the Web for ignominious

A repatriation ceremony would help bury the ignominious squabbles of the past.
Incontrovertible Evidence Proves the First Americans Came From Asia|Doug Peacock|March 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was two years after the ignominious end of the Vietnam War and three years after Watergate.
Read This Book to Understand Lee Harvey Oswald|Joseph Finder|August 2, 2013|DAILY BEAST
International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn's ignominious downfall was more than a personal call to account.
Christine Lagarde: Can a Woman Save the IMF?|Tracy McNicoll|June 1, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Mike Castle deserved better than this ugly, ignominious end.
The Wingnuts' New Queen|John Avlon|September 15, 2010|DAILY BEAST

Zidane is famous for providing both the greatest and the most ignominious moments in French World Cup history.
World Cup Primer|Joshua Robinson|June 12, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Nevertheless he suffered an ignominious defeat at the Ilevolds , near Nidaros, and had to flee head over heels to Bergen.
The Story of Norway|Hjalmar H. Boyesen
Thus the first attempt at a party cabinet in Japan came to an ignominious failure under extremely untoward circumstances.
Japan|Various
Such audacity in referring to the subject Adelina fondly thought she had brought to an ignominious end quite took away her breath.
A Singular Metamorphosis|May Evelyn Skiles
What was the value of privileges which must be held by a tenure at once so ignominious and so insecure?
The History of England from the Accession of James II.|Thomas Babington Macaulay
By submission we may indeed have peace, alike precarious and ignominious.
Abridgment of the Debates of Congress, from 1789 to 1856, Vol. II (of 16)|Thomas Hart Benton

Word Origin and History for ignominious

ignominious

adj.

early 15c., from Middle French ignominieux (14c.) or directly from Latin ignominiosus "disgraceful, shameful," from ignominia "loss of a (good) name," from assimilated form of in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + nomen (genitive nominis) "name" (see name). Influenced by Old Latin gnoscere "come to know." Related: Ignominiously; ignominiousness.

ignominious

adjective

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of ignominious

Examples from the Web for ignominious

ignominious