ignominiously
Americanadverb
Explanation
Things that happen ignominiously occur in a shameful, dishonorable, or underhanded way. If a baseball team is defeated ignominiously, it's so badly trounced that every player feels embarrassed about the game. If a government uses violence against political protesters, silencing them and blocking their access to reporters and the Internet, it behaves ignominiously. If you cheat on a test, you're acting ignominiously and should feel ashamed about it. In Latin, ignominiosus means "disgraceful or shameful," from the root ignominia, literally "loss of a good name." In other words, if you act ignominiously, you risk losing your good name.
Vocabulary lists containing ignominiously
The Scarlet Letter
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Adam West (1928-2017) Tribute List
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Bartleby the Scrivener
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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.
A glorious 13 years at Real Madrid began ignominiously when he was voted 'worst signing of 2012' in a poll by Madrid-based sports daily Marca.
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026
She posted images of city workers prying out the two figures from the bench and the bronzed Castro and Guevara being ignominiously hauled away in a bulldozer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2025
So are the kids, who ignominiously dispose of the corpse and then realize they need money for food.
From New York Times ● Apr. 11, 2024
The conflict ended ignominiously for Italy at the 1896 Battle of Adwa, when its troops encountered a much larger Ethiopian force.
From Textbooks ● Dec. 14, 2022
Three times I had essayed the ascent of this mountain, and on each occasion had failed ignominiously.
From The Ascent of the Matterhorn by Edward Whymper
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
