- disgrace or public shame; dishonour
- a cause of disgrace; a shameful act
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
ig•no•min•y /ˈɪgnəˌmɪni, ɪgˈnɑməni/USA pronunciation
n., pl. -ies. an act or instance of such disgraceful or shameful conduct:[countable]the ignominies of a spy. See -nom-2.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- [uncountable] disgrace;
shame;
dishonor:The traitor lived a life of ignominy in his adopted country, never trusted by his new countrymen.
ig•no•min•y
(ig′nə min′ē, ig nom′ə nē),USA pronunciation n., pl. -min•ies for 2.
- disgrace;
dishonor;
public contempt. - shameful or dishonorable quality or conduct or an instance of this.
- Latin ignōminia, equivalent. to ig- (for in- in-3, apparently by association with ignōbilis ignoble, ignōtus unknown, etc; compare cognomen) + nōmin- (stem of nōmen) name + -ia -y3
- 1530–40
- 1. disrepute, discredit, shame, obloquy, opprobrium. See disgrace.
- 1. credit, honor.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
ignominy /ˈɪɡnəˌmɪnɪ/ n ( pl -minies)
'ignominy' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):