ignominy

Meanings

1. 1noununcountableformalliterary

   Deep public shame that comes from doing something disgraceful or from a humiliating failure.

   Grammar: Often with of or in: the ignominy of defeat.

   Patterns

   • the ignominy of something
   • in ignominy

   The coach faced the ignominy of losing every game that season.

   He left the company in ignominy after the fraud was exposed.

   She bore the ignominy of being fired in front of her colleagues.

2. 2nouncountableformal

   A shameful or dishonorable act or event.

   Grammar: Sometimes plural: suffer further ignominies.

   Being sent home early was one more ignominy for the team.

   The prisoners endured many ignominies.

   Each small ignominy added to his bitterness.

Word forms

Common combinations

the ignominy of defeat

The ignominy of defeat was hard to swallow.

suffer the ignominy

He had to suffer the ignominy of public apology.

die in ignominy

The old king died in ignominy, abandoned by his allies.

a life of ignominy

Ending up in debt meant a life of ignominy for him.

public ignominy

The scandal brought public ignominy upon the family.

Synonyms and how they differ

disgrace

Disgrace is the everyday word, while ignominy is stronger and more formal.

humiliation

Humiliation is the painful feeling, whereas ignominy is the lasting loss of reputation.

shame

Shame can be private, but ignominy is almost always public.

dishonor

Dishonor is about loss of honor, and ignominy adds the stain of public contempt.

Opposites

Word family

ignominious adjective

deserving shame; humiliating

ignominiously adverb

in a shameful, humiliating way

Commonly confused: ignominy or ignorance?

Practice

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