- a feeling of loss of prestige or self-respect; humiliation
- something causing this
- the practice of mortifying the senses
- another word for gangrene
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
mor•ti•fi•ca•tion
(môr′tə fi kā′shən),USA pronunciation n.
- a feeling of humiliation or shame, as through some injury to one's pride or self-respect.
- a cause or source of such humiliation or shame.
- the practice of asceticism by penitential discipline to overcome desire for sin and to strengthen the will.
- Pathologythe death of one part of the body while the rest is alive;
gangrene;
necrosis.
- Late Latin mortificātiōn- (stem of mortificātiō), equivalent. to morti- (see mortify) + -ficatiōn- -fication
- Middle English mortificacion 1350–1400
- 1. See shame.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
mortification /ˌmɔːtɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/ n
mor•ti•fy /ˈmɔrtəˌfaɪ/USA pronunciation
v. [~ + object], -fied, -fy•ing.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- to humiliate (someone), as by an injury to self-respect:He was mortified when he forgot his speech.
mor•ti•fy
(môr′tə fī′),USA pronunciation v., -fied, -fy•ing.
v.t.
v.i.
mor′ti•fied′ly, adv.
mor′ti•fi′er, n.
mor′ti•fy′ing•ly, adv.
v.t.
- to humiliate or shame, as by injury to one's pride or self-respect.
- to subjugate (the body, passions, etc.) by abstinence, ascetic discipline, or self-inflicted suffering.
- Pathologyto affect with gangrene or necrosis.
v.i.
- to practice mortification or disciplinary austerities.
- Pathologyto undergo mortification;
become gangrened or necrosed.
- Late Latin mortificāre to put to death, equivalent. to Latin morti- (stem of mors) death + -ficāre -fy
- Middle French mortifier
- Middle English mortifien 1350–1400
mor′ti•fi′er, n.
mor′ti•fy′ing•ly, adv.
- 1. humble, abase. 2. subdue, restrain.
'mortification' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
chagrin
- ascetic
- asceticism
- confusion
- discipline
- humiliation
- mortify
- necrosis
- self-mortification
- shame