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.
In 1938, voters ousted the ignominiously corrupt Frank Shaw, electing reformer Fletcher Bowron in his place.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 4, 2025
While Schmidt's six-year tenure with Ireland ended ignominiously with that 2019 quarter-final defeat, he laid the foundations for Ireland's success under Farrell, winning the Grand Slam in 2018 before claiming a series win in Australia.
From BBC • Oct. 10, 2023
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
Nixon was on the ropes in the summer of 1974 and it wasn't long before he ignominiously resigned from office.
From Salon • Jul. 8, 2022
There he, who had never been tied, was ignominiously chained as though he were a runaway puppy.
From Lad: A Dog by Terhune, Albert Payson
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.
