ignominious
Americanadjective
-
marked by or attended with ignominy; discreditable; humiliating.
an ignominious retreat.
- Synonyms:
- shameful, dishonorable, disgraceful, degrading
-
bearing or deserving ignominy; contemptible.
- Synonyms:
- ignoble, despicable
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of ignominious
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English word from Latin word ignōminiōsus. See ignominy, -ous
Explanation
Losing a football game stinks, but losing a game where, at the end, you are lying face down in a puddle of mud and the fans are burning effigies of you in the streets? That is an ignominious defeat. Although ignominious can modify other words, it is nearly always attached to "defeat." It derives from the word ignominy, which means public shame or defeat. Ignominy derives from the Latin in- "not" + a variant of nomen "name."
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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.
Messi and Co. were teetering on the edge not only of defeat, but of suffering the most ignominious upset in the 96-year history of the tournament.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026
Tesla stock is trying to stop an ignominious streak on Friday.
From Barron's ● Mar. 29, 2026
During his straight-set Australian Open win over Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp on Saturday - his 400th Grand Slam victory - Djokovic smacked another ball away from the court and risked a further ignominious default.
From BBC ● Jan. 24, 2026
Every year, Amicus co-hosts Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern invite listeners to nominate the Supreme Court’s most egregious behavior, then choose their own “worst of the worst” to memorialize the most ignominious moments.
From Slate ● Jan. 3, 2026
It’s an absurd as well as an ignominious position.
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.
