ignominious

ignominy (ˈɪɡnəˌmɪnɪ)

—n , pl -minies
1.	disgrace or public shame; dishonour
2.	a cause of disgrace; a shameful act

[C16: from Latin ignōminia disgrace, from ig- (see in-²) + nōmen name, reputation]

igno'minious

—*adj*

igno'miniously

—*adv*

igno'miniousness

—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

ignominious

1520s, from M.Fr. ignominieux (14c.), from L. ignominiosus "disgraceful, shameful," from ignominia "loss of a (good) name," from in- "not" + nomen (gen. nominis) "name." Influenced by Old L. gnoscere "come to know."

Example sentences

They've fought bravely to liberate their country from this dictator, and he met

an ignominious end yesterday.

And always their second aim was to shell that opponent until he dropped his

arms and took to ignominious flight.

They tried to dissuade me in such ignominious ways, economically and

administratively.

The sports landscape has been littered with ignominious moments from defunct

leagues gone by.

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Related Words

dishonorable fiasco ignoble

ignoble opprobrious

Matching Quote

"Bourgeois existence is the regime of private affairs ... and the family is the rotten, dismal edifice in whose closets and crannies the most ignominious instincts are deposited. Mundane life proclaims the total subjugation of eroticism to privacy."

-Walter Benjamin