ignominious

[ig-nuh-min-ee-uhs]

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.

Origin of ignominious

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

Related formsig·no·min·i·ous·ly, adverbig·no·min·i·ous·ness, nounnon·ig·no·min·i·ous, adjectivenon·ig·no·min·i·ous·ly, adverbnon·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

Synonyms for ignominious

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ignominious ON THESAURUS.COM

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for ignominious

embarrassing, shameful, disgraceful, dishonorable, inglorious, discreditable, contemptible, despicable, mean, nasty, rotten, vile

Examples from the Web for ignominious

Contemporary Examples of 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
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
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
Mike Castle deserved better than this ugly, ignominious end.
The Wingnuts' New Queen
John Avlon
September 15, 2010
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

Historical Examples of ignominious

A groan of distress burst from him, and he fled the place in ignominious rout.
Within the Law
Marvin Dana
He pleasantly promises the ignominious death of your chief friends.
In the Valley
Harold Frederic
But this was a death of the most ignominious and painful description.
Female Scripture Biographies, Vol. II
Francis Augustus Cox
Such an experiment was at all events predestined to an ignominious failure.
Heroes of the Telegraph
J. Munro
But of all these numerous occasions the most ignominious was shortly after the affair with the Grizzly.
Johnny Bear
E. T. Seton

Word Origin and History for 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.