noun
-
disgrace or public shame; dishonour
-
a cause of disgrace; a shameful act
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.; cf. cognomen) + nōmin- (stem of nōmen ) name + -ia -y 3
Explanation
If you walk into class in your underwear, you'll know what the word ignominy means. Ignominy is a noun meaning great public shame, disgrace, or embarrassment, or a situation or event that causes this. The shame can be major or minor: someone can suffer the ignominy of defeat or the ignominies of old age. When pronouncing this word, the main accent is on the first syllable, and the secondary accent is on the third syllable. Ignominy is from Latin the ignominia, formed from the prefix in-, "no, not," plus nomen, "name." The implication is that if someone has suffered ignominy, they have lost their good name or reputation.
Vocabulary lists containing ignominy
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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.
And so there has been a pileup of ignominy referred to a busier-than-ever Ethics Committee.
From Slate • Apr. 16, 2026
Covered for the ignominy of his historically woeful four-for-51 hitting performance.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026
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 • Mar. 24, 2026
Rather than ushering the victim to the next life, this shunts him further into obscurity and ignominy.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 2, 2025
Turner felt, for the first time, the full ignominy of the retreat.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
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.
