IGNOMINIOUS Synonyms: 123 Similar and Opposite Words

ignominious

adjective

ˌig-nə-ˈmi-nē-əs

Definition of ignominious

as in notorious

not respectable some of his friends considered the low-level job to be an ignominious fate for the laid-off executive

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in vile

not following or in accordance with standards of honor and decency the prison guards degraded themselves with their inhumane, ignominious treatment of the prisoners

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of ignominious On the heels of becoming the first top seed to lose its regional opener, UCLA leaned into its late-game heroics to avoid ignominious history. — Josh Gross, Daily News, 31 May 2026 What was seen as the injustice of her ignominious end on the gallows was at least one factor of many that propelled a move to war. — Literary Hub, 26 May 2026 Everlane is not the only relic of the ethical consumption era to find itself in ignominious circumstances. — Phil Wahba, Fortune, 23 May 2026 In doing so, the TV adaptation fumbled the comics’ superior final act, turning Butcher’s own ignominious death at the hands of Hughie into an ineffective afterthought. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 20 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for ignominious

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ignominious

Adjective

Chicago has Back of the Yards, once adjacent to its notorious stockyards and not that far from Bubbly Creek, where methane and hydrogen sulfide gas once caused the South Fork of the Chicago River to make like a hot tub.

— Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026
Disqualified is being presented at the MIA Market in Rome today as a TV drama inspired by one of real-life events surrounding Finland’s most notorious sporting scandals.

— Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of notorious

Adjective

Prosecutors reveal Ha used anonymous social media accounts to send dozens of vile antisemitic threats, leaking the victim’s home address and forcing their family to flee.

— Staff, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026
New additions include singer Tank, who plays vile music exec Eric Cropper and Jax’s main client, Beauty in Black star Taylor Polidore Williams as Eric’s wife Brooke, La La Anthony as Eric’s first wife Melina, and then Megan Good as Regina Harris.

— Ronda Racha Penrice, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of vile

Adjective

With American Family Field rocking, Ashby reared back and threw a nasty curve that Díaz tried to hold up on.

— Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
Of course, there has been some criticism of this plan, as France is experiencing some pretty nasty civil unrest at the moment, but the game will go ahead, with the Saints having been in the country for a few days already.

— Matt Reigle OutKick, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of nasty

Adjective

The police spokesperson said Perez was taken into custody without incident and charged with menacing and criminal possession of a weapon.

— Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
The leader of one of Haiti’s most powerful criminal organizations said the Salvadorans were killed in territory controlled by Chen Mechan, an allied gang.

— Widlore Mérancourt, Washington Post, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of criminal

Adjective

In the world of sports broadcasting, ESPN and Buck did Aikman dirty.

— Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Oct. 2026
Now Gizelle has to decide whether that person is her longtime friend in real life or the woman who has spent the past several seasons doing much of her dirty work.

— Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of dirty

Adjective

Many shady electronics companies are happy to sell you the wrong component for the wrong price.

— Tim Stevens, ArsTechnica, 19 Oct. 2026
The fake image was attention-grabbing, shady, and timely — in other words, perfect for social media virality but a potential liability for the parties involved.

— Mia Sato, The Verge, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of shady

Adjective

The prizes’ name is a reference to Ignatius (Ig) Nobel—a fictional character said to be a distant cousin of Swedish inventor and industrialist Alfred Nobel, for whom the Nobel Prizes are named—and is also a pun on the word ignoble.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Aug. 2026
This is an ignoble war making monsters and fools out of its participants, and against the uncontrollable weapons that are dragons, everyone’s resolve is crumbling.

— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 18 June 2026

Definition of ignoble

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ignominy

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“Ignominious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ignominious. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of ignominious

adjective

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