the.com/ignominy
Disgrace with an audience — humiliation that gets a footnote in history.
means Public shame or disgrace so deep it stains your reputation, especially after a notable failure or wrongdoing.
from From Latin ignominia, built from the negating prefix in- ('not') plus nomen ('name'). To be in ignominy was, literally, to have your good name stripped away — a nameless disgrace. It passed through French into English, keeping that core idea: this is dishonor severe enough to unmake your reputation.
- origin
- Latin ignominia, losing your name-worthy reputation
- vs embarrassment
- embarrassment fades, ignominy gets recorded
- classic use
- reserved for defeats, scandals, and fallen leaders
- feels like
- shame wearing a formal suit