Standard Lemma guide

ignominy

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK, US: ĭgʹnə-mĭn'ē
  • UK, US: /ˈɪɡnəˌmɪni/
  • US: /ˈɪɡnəˌmɪni/
  • US: /ˈɪɡnəməni/
  • US: /ɪɡˈnɑməni/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: IH1 G N OW0 M IH2 N IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Great dishonor, shame, or humiliation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • Near-synonym: bad name

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bad name

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a state of dishonor

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • one mistake brought shame to all his family
  • suffered the ignominy of being sent to prison

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: shame, disgrace

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: dishonor, dishonour

Narrower terms: humiliation, obloquy, opprobrium, odium, reproach

History

Etymology

Borrowed from French ignominie, from Latin ignōminia, from ig- (“not”) + nomen (“name”) (prefix assimilated form of in-).

Across languages

Translations

50 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: срам (sram) — great dishonor, shame, or humiliation
  • Bulgarian: позор (pozor) — great dishonor, shame, or humiliation
  • Catalan: ignomínia — great dishonor, shame, or humiliation
  • Danish: vanære — great dishonor, shame, or humiliation
  • Danish: skam — great dishonor, shame, or humiliation
  • Danish: vanry — great dishonor, shame, or humiliation
  • Dutch: schaamte — great dishonor, shame, or humiliation
  • Finnish: häpeä — great dishonor, shame, or humiliation
  • Finnish: häpeällinen teko — great dishonor, shame, or humiliation
  • French: ignominie — great dishonor, shame, or humiliation
  • German: Schmach — great dishonor, shame, or humiliation
  • German: Schande — great dishonor, shame, or humiliation
  • German: Schändlichkeit — great dishonor, shame, or humiliation
  • German: Unaussprechlichkeit — great dishonor, shame, or humiliation
  • Ancient Greek: ἀτιμία (atimía) — great dishonor, shame, or humiliation
  • Hungarian: gyalázat — great dishonor, shame, or humiliation
  • Irish: míchlú — great dishonor, shame, or humiliation
  • Italian: ignominia — great dishonor, shame, or humiliation
  • Italian: infamia — great dishonor, shame, or humiliation
  • Latin: ignominia — great dishonor, shame, or humiliation
  • Norwegian: skjensel — great dishonor, shame, or humiliation
  • Norwegian: vanære — great dishonor, shame, or humiliation
  • Norwegian: skam — great dishonor, shame, or humiliation
  • Norwegian Bokmål: vanære — great dishonor, shame, or humiliation
  • Norwegian Bokmål: skam — great dishonor, shame, or humiliation
  • Plautdietsch: Schaund — great dishonor, shame, or humiliation
  • Polish: upokorzenie — great dishonor, shame, or humiliation
  • Polish: podłość — great dishonor, shame, or humiliation
  • Polish: hańba — great dishonor, shame, or humiliation
  • Polish: dyshonor — great dishonor, shame, or humiliation
  • Polish: sromota — great dishonor, shame, or humiliation
  • Portuguese: ignomínia — great dishonor, shame, or humiliation
  • Portuguese: desonra — great dishonor, shame, or humiliation
  • Romanian: ignominie — great dishonor, shame, or humiliation
  • Russian: бесче́стие (besčéstije) — great dishonor, shame, or humiliation
  • Russian: позо́р (pozór) — great dishonor, shame, or humiliation
  • Russian: срам (sram) — great dishonor, shame, or humiliation
  • Spanish: ignominia — great dishonor, shame, or humiliation
  • Swedish: vanära — great dishonor, shame, or humiliation
  • Swedish: skam — great dishonor, shame, or humiliation
  • Swedish: nesa — great dishonor, shame, or humiliation
  • Swedish: skymf — great dishonor, shame, or humiliation
  • Swedish: smälek — great dishonor, shame, or humiliation
  • Turkish: kepazelik — great dishonor, shame, or humiliation
  • Turkish: rezalet — great dishonor, shame, or humiliation
  • Turkish: rezillik — great dishonor, shame, or humiliation
  • Turkish: zillet — great dishonor, shame, or humiliation
  • Ottoman Turkish: رذالت (rezâlet) — great dishonor, shame, or humiliation
  • Ukrainian: безче́стя (bezčéstja) — great dishonor, shame, or humiliation
  • Ukrainian: ганьба́ (hanʹbá) — great dishonor, shame, or humiliation