ignominy
2
9.3
- noun
- /ˈɪɡnəˌmɪni/
- Literature
:
ignominia
- In 1847, a British expedition seeking the fabled Northwest Passage ended in death and ignominy because Sir John Franklin and his crew, seeing themselves as products of the pinnacle of Victorian civilization, were too proud to ask the Inuit for help.
Examples
-
Many musicians contrasted the respect and attention they received back in the 1960s with the ignominy and poverty they experience today.
Academic text (2004) -
There was no escaping the ignominy of sudden violent death.
Fiction book (1996) -
President Johnson escaped conviction and ignominy by one vote.
Academic text (2001) -
From the ignominy of his early life, he had become one of the tribe's more promising young warriors.
Fiction book (1990) -
And Eleanor, being spared much of the routine ignominy of the cheated wife, was a willing host.
Fiction book (1998) -
Barack Obama avoided the ignominy of an electoral repudiation and may also have won the popular vote.
Blog text (29) -
Though I detested my own ignominy, I could see how much well-known people fawned over someone now at the height of her fame.
Fiction book (1999) -
Going to a junior high school where jacket and tie were required, and where, I assumed, erudition would be admired, was going to be my ticket out of social ignominy, not all the way to coolness but just to normalcy.
Academic text (2007) -
An unwed mother, a despoiled virgin, a figure of ignominy, pity, shame—no other way.
Fiction book (1993) -
After being caught cheating, the student faced the ignominy of public ridicule from his classmates.
Synonyms
157
3.7
Loss of respect or honor after doing something shameful
148
4.2
A feeling of shame and loss of respect for yourself after being made to look foolish
34
6.8
A mark on someone's reputation that makes others respect them less
27
6.8
An act that makes someone feel ashamed and lose self-respect
21
7.6
Being known for something very bad or shameful
9
4.7
An event that hurts how people see someone
6
7.6
A bad reputation that makes people think less of a person or group
3
9.9
Strong public shame and criticism for doing something very wrong
2
8.6
A strong feeling of shame or deep embarrassment
1
8.9
A feeling of deep shame when people treat you as unimportant
1
9.9
A public attack in words that shames a person and harms their reputation
1
9.9
A feeling of being very low, ashamed, and rejected by others
A state of public shame that makes people lose respect
A state when many people think someone has a bad reputation
Behavior that shocks or offends many people
The state of deserving public shame because of wrong actions
A quality of not being worthy of respect
A feeling of embarrassment and being judged by other people
Antonyms
How Shameful
- Offensive
148
4.2
62
4.5
- Literature
2
9.3
418
2.3
219
3.1
Surface Forms
Etymology
Ignominy comes from the Latin ignominia, built from in- 'not' and nomen 'name', so it once meant 'no name' or the loss of a good name. That's why ignominy now means public shame or being without honor.