ignominious
adjective
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The "-nom-" of "ignominious" comes from "nomen," the Latin word for "name" or "repute." (It's also the root of "misnomer," "nomenclature," and "nominal," among others.) The "ig-" part of the word is akin to the negative prefix in-; when joined to the root "-nom-," it indicates the namelessness that goes with shame or dishonor. To suffer an ignominious fate is to lose the opportunity to make a name for oneself or to lose one's good name. When "ignominious" was first borrowed from a French form of the word in the 15th century, it meant "disgraced" or "dishonorable." "Ignominious" continues to have such meanings, but it also has somewhat milder meanings - "embarrassing" and "humiliating."
Examples of ignominious in a Sentence
Michael Loria, USA TODAY, 15 Mar. 2025
Elijah’s time in uniform comes to an ignominious end when the Union takes him prisoner.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 10 Mar. 2025
The Ducks completed an ignominious trifecta of unforced errors early in the third period.
—Andrew Knoll, Orange County Register, 10 Mar. 2025
Thank God his parents are too dead to see their son’s ignominious end; too bad everyone at the country club isn’t dead.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 9 Mar. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Ignominious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ignominious. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
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ignominious
adjective
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