indignity
Americannoun
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indignities
plural
-
an injury to a person's dignity; slighting or contemptuous treatment; humiliating affront, insult, or injury.
- Synonyms:
- outrage
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Obsolete. disgrace or disgraceful action.
noun
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injury to one's self-esteem or dignity; humiliation
-
obsolete disgrace or disgraceful character or conduct
Synonym Usage
See insult.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of indignity
First recorded in 1575–85; from Latin indignitās “unworthiness,” equivalent to indign(us) “undeserving, unworthy”( see indign) + -itās -ity
Explanation
An indignity is something embarrassing. An indignity is usually something that happens to us rather than something we do ourselves. As you might guess from that negative prefix in-, an indignity is a word that takes dignity (or self-esteem) away. If you find a fly in your soup, that's an indignity — not to mention protein. If you're making a speech and you realize your fly is open, that's a major indignity. Many people find waiting in line a long time to be an indignity. When you say "This is an indignity!" you're really saying, "I'm better than this, and I shouldn't have to deal with it." Needless to say, life is full of indignities.
Vocabulary lists containing indignity
Things Fall Apart
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"My Wonder Horse," Vocabulary from the short story
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"The Odyssey" by Homer, Books 14–18
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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.
See Examples For:
For generations, the 103-year-old Catholic parish has been a beacon of solace and resistance for residents angry about the latest indignity to befall the historic heart of Latino Los Angeles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026
The Angels’ ultimate indignity is its own hometown newspaper doesn’t regard it highly enough to staff its games with a full-time writer.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 30, 2026
You can call that depressing, or an indignity, or a simple fact.
From Salon ● Jan. 23, 2026
The Ashes were decided after only three Tests and England have avoided the indignity of a 5-0 clean sweep.
From BBC ● Jan. 4, 2026
I tried to catch up to him, ignoring the pain and indignity beneath my coat.
From "Salt to the Sea" by Ruta Sepetys
Initially he has ulterior motives, but soon becomes Simon’s mentor, turning the series into a look at the indignities that actors face while pursuing their profession.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
Many of us were the Success Daughters who had grown up hearing that we could be anything we wanted, only to encounter barriers and indignities we hadn’t been told existed.
From Slate ● Mar. 31, 2026
They accept the indignities of age as they accept everything, with unblinking eyes and a saving humor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 19, 2025
Park’s graphic elegance may be at odds with the awkward, idle indignities depicted onscreen, but the discrepancy between the two generates an edge-of-your-seat tension.
From Salon ● Oct. 7, 2025
Paul was willing—even eager—to share the well-publicized indignities suffered by the suffragists who had been imprisoned.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
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.
