mortification

noun

mor·​ti·​fi·​ca·​tion ˌmȯr-tə-fə-ˈkā-shən 

1

a

: a sense of humiliation and shame caused by something that wounds one's pride or self-respect

the mortification of being jilted by a little boarding-school girl

—Washington Irving

b

: the cause of such humiliation or shame

2

: necrosis, gangrene

3

: the subjection and denial of bodily passions and appetites by abstinence or self-inflicted pain or discomfort

was customary to practice mortification during Lent

Synonyms

• abashment
• confusion
• discomfiture
• disconcertment
• embarrassment
• fluster

Examples of mortification in a Sentence

the mortification of being dumped the night before the prom

Recent Examples on the Web

Whetstone said the power was with the poster and encouraged her mother to be remorseful, express mortification with her actions and work to make amends. —Dan Perry, Newsweek, 31 Jan. 2025

Blanding is suing for damages such as stress, humiliation, embarrassment, outrage, mental anguish, fear and mortification, as well as emotional, economic and non-economic damages. —Charmaine Patterson, People.com, 29 Jan. 2025

But Victor leans less into clownish mortification than her predecessors, making room instead for a delicate quietude and sincerity. —Jon Frosch, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019

The most delightful of all mortifications is the idea that life, as Carl Jung said, really does begin at 40. —Mitch Wallace, Forbes, 2 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Phrases Containing mortification

• self-mortification

Medical Definition

mortification

noun

mor·​ti·​fi·​ca·​tion ˌmȯrt-ə-fə-ˈkā-shən 

: local death of tissue in the animal body : necrosis, gangrene