ignominy

American  

[ig-nuh-min-ee, ig-nom-uh-nee] / ˈɪg nəˌmɪn i, ɪgˈnɒm ə ni /

noun

plural

ignominies

1. disgrace; dishonor; public contempt.

   Synonyms:

   opprobrium, obloquy, shame, discredit, disrepute

   Antonyms:

   honor, credit

2. shameful or dishonorable quality or conduct or an instance of this.

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ignominy British  

/ ˈɪɡnəˌmɪnɪ /

noun

1. disgrace or public shame; dishonour

2. a cause of disgrace; a shameful act

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Related Words

See disgrace.

Other Word Forms

• ignominious adjective
• ignominiously adverb
• ignominiousness noun

Etymology

Origin of ignominy

1530–40; < Latin ignōminia, equivalent to ig- (for in- in- ³, apparently by association with ignōbilis ignoble, ignōtus unknown, etc.; cognomen ) + nōmin- (stem of nōmen ) name + -ia -y ³

Example Sentences

Should they throw caution to the winds and try to bring in a full-time appointment now to save their season from the ignominy of relegation?

From BBC

Who never spoke about their ignominies because they were afraid we wouldn’t be there for them.

From Los Angeles Times

The ultimate ignominy came the day Father set the astronomical clock by the radio.

From Literature

But Edward created a long tail of ignominy.

From The Wall Street Journal

Instead, back-to-back defeats by Scotland and Ireland have left them fighting to regain momentum and avoid the ignominy of historic low.

From BBC