What does ignominy mean?
Ignominy is a formal noun meaning public disgrace, dishonour, or a severe and lasting loss of reputation. It is stronger than embarrassment and generally implies that a person or institution has become associated with something shameful. The word is often used for political scandals, betrayal, criminal humiliation, or events that permanently damage an honoured name. Ignominy may also refer more broadly to profound personal shame or the loss of esteem. In modern usage it has a ceremonious, sometimes literary tone, so it appears especially often in accounts of public disgrace and historical misfortune. Related forms include the adjective ignominious, meaning shameful or dishonourable, and the adverb ignominiously. Although less common than synonyms such as disgrace and shame, ignominy is useful when the severity and public character of the disgrace need emphasis.
nounPublic disgrace or dishonour, especially a deeply humiliating loss of reputation. It can also refer to profound shame or the state of being held in contemptible repute.
- Public disgrace or dishonour attaching to a person, action, or institution.
- Deep shame or the loss of honour and esteem.
"The fraud brought not merely embarrassment but lasting ignominy upon the respected institution."
"The disgraced politician resigned amid widespread ignominy."
"She endured the ignominy of being publicly betrayed by her own colleague."
The plural is used when referring to separate acts, conditions, or instances of disgrace.
"The history records not one scandal but the ignominies of an entire decade."
Ignominy grew from the idea of a name turned to shame: disgrace so public and lasting that it becomes part of how a person is known.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does ignominy come from?
Ignominy entered Middle English through Old French ignominie from Latin ignōminia, meaning “disgrace” or “dishonour.” The Latin word is associated with ignōminōsus, “disgraceful” or “of ill repute,” formed from the negative prefix in- and nōmen, nōminis, meaning “name” or “reputation.” Its development reflects the idea of a person or thing acquiring a bad name, and related English words include ignominious and ignominiously.
Related word forms
How ignominy is actually used
This is a formal and elevated word, common in historical, political, legal, and literary prose. It normally conveys lasting public disgrace and is more emphatic than merely being embarrassed or humiliated.
Easily confused with ignominy
Ignominy is a noun naming a disgraceful condition or reputation, while ignominious is an adjective describing a person or action as shameful or dishonourable.