I. “+ noun
Etymology: Middle English dishonour, from Old French deshonor, deshoneur, from des- dis- (I) + honor, honeur honor — more at honor
1. : lack or loss of honor or a condition characterized by such lack or loss
2.
a. : the state of one who has offended against honor : shame , disgrace , ignominy
a traitor to his kind, wrapped in dishonor as in a cloak
b. : loss of prestige or place ; especially : the obscure and disregarded state of one that has fallen from a position of prominence
a courtier in dishonor
c. : strong speech in condemnation or other expressions of disapproval or scorn : insult
exposed to dishonor by every hack writer
3. : a person, thing, or action bringing dishonor and sacrificing or endangering good repute
the professor's conduct is a dishonor to the university
4. : the nonpayment or nonacceptance of commercial paper by the party on whom it is drawn
Synonyms:
disrepute , disgrace , shame , ignominy , obloquy , opprobrium , odium , infamy : these words all involve loss of esteem and good repute and resulting denigration or hatred. disrepute is the mildest in the group and means no more than loss of praise and popularity with ensuing desuetude or marked but not necessarily extreme dislike
this author is now in disrepute and his works are no longer read
the secretary fell into disrepute and was suspended but not discharged
dishonor implies lost honor. It may imply general loss of respect and deference formerly accorded
Belisarius, once courted, now exposed to dishonor
It may suggest the scorn of the cowardly, corrupt, or untrustworthy
the general's career will always be tarnished by the dishonor of having retreated before inferior forces
disgrace , implying utter loss of grace or favor, is a strong term and implies widely known deep disfavor incurred by something improper or immoral
the moral reputation of these Grandisons was … such a disgrace to the noble name they bore, that she rejected them with horror — George Meredith
shame is central in this list; it is usable in various situations and with suggestions ranging from those of dishonor to those of infamy
to soften the shame of this defeat in battle
the lasting shame of a quisling or a Judas
In this series shame is unusual in implying that inner feelings of guilt are likely to be experienced by the victim, along with scornful or hateful feelings of others
shame is a reaction to other people's criticism. A man is shamed either by being openly ridiculed and rejected or by fantasying to himself that he has been made ridiculous — Ruth Benedict
The extreme feelings attached to the following words blur their exact meanings and make comments on them difficult and inexact: ignominy may imply something more intense than scorn, deeper than disgrace and may add notions of hatred and contempt
he cast the pork solemnly upon the dunghill, with every attendant circumstance of ignominy — G.G.Coulton
the ignominy [of being horsewhipped] he had been compelled to submit to — George Meredith
obloquy connotes strong widespread hatred and contempt for an important or well-known figure found guilty of something hateful, base, or shocking
that unmerited obloquy had been brought on him by the violence of his minister — T.B.Macaulay
all the obloquy which Weed's corruption had excited — H.S.Commager
opprobrium may carry with it the suggestion of general condemnation for the fraudulent or the brutal, or a specific instance of them
the name “educator”, for many intelligent people, has become a term of opprobrium — C.H.Grandgent
the opprobrium conveyed by the term headhunter — V.G.Heiser
odium is quite similar; it may occasionally suggest more lasting and less specific resentment, blame, and hatred
whatever odium or loss her maneuvers incurred she [Queen Elizabeth] flung upon her counselors — J.R.Green
infamy is perhaps the strongest of this group; it suggests long-lasting and extreme ill fame with attendant hatred, loathing, and contempt
I have come, not from obscurity into the momentary notoriety of crime, but from a sort of fame to a sort of eternity of infamy — Oscar Wilde
December 7, 1941, a date which will live in infamy — F.D.Roosevelt
long remember the infamy of this kidnap-murder
II. transitive verb
Etymology: Middle English deshonouren, from Middle French deshonorer, deshonerer, from des- dis- (I) + honorer, honerer to honor — more at honor
1. : to deprive of honor : treat with indignity or as unworthy in the sight of others : stain the character or reputation of
2. : to violate the chastity of : debauch , rape
3. : to bring reproach or shame on : disgrace
his behavior dishonored his family
4. : to refuse to accept or pay (as a draft, bill, check, or note that is duly presented for acceptance or payment)