disgrace

1 of 2

verb

dis·​grace di-ˈskrās 

dis-ˈgrās

disgraced; disgracing; disgraces

transitive verb

1

: to be a source of shame to

Your actions disgraced the family.

2

: to cause to lose favor (see favor entry 1 sense 1a(2)) or standing

was disgraced by the hint of scandal

3

archaic : to humiliate by a superior showing

thy whiteness … shall disgrace the swan

—Robert Browning

disgracer noun

disgrace

2 of 2

noun

1

a

: the condition of one fallen from grace : the condition of one who has lost honor (see honor entry 1 sense 1a)

left in disgrace

b

: loss of grace, favor, or honor

brought disgrace upon the family

2

: a source of shame

Your manners are a disgrace.

He's a disgrace to the profession.

Synonyms

Verb

• abase
• chasten
• cheapen
• debase
• degrade
• demean
• discredit
• dishonor
• foul
• humble
• humiliate
• lower
• shame
• sink
• smirch
• take down

Noun

• discredit
• disesteem
• dishonor
• disrepute
• ignominy
• infamy
• obloquy
• odium
• opprobrium
• reproach
• shame

Choose the Right Synonym for disgrace

disgrace, dishonor, disrepute, infamy, ignominy mean the state or condition of suffering loss of esteem and of enduring reproach.

disgrace often implies humiliation and sometimes ostracism.

sent home in disgrace

dishonor emphasizes the loss of honor that one has enjoyed or the loss of self-esteem.

preferred death to life with dishonor

disrepute stresses loss of one's good name or the acquiring of a bad reputation.

a once proud name fallen into disrepute

infamy usually implies notoriety as well as exceeding shame.

a day that lives in infamy

ignominy stresses humiliation.

the ignominy of being arrested

Examples of disgrace in a Sentence

Verb

Many feel that the mayor has disgraced the town government by accepting personal favors from local businesspeople.

He felt he had disgraced himself by failing at school.

Noun

The secret was protected out of a fear of political disgrace.

Many feel that the mayor has brought disgrace upon the town.

She was forced to leave in disgrace.

His table manners are a disgrace.

The health-care system is a national disgrace.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

He was then recruited by the controversial and now disgraced Mohammed Al-Fayed, who owned Harrods in London at the time, to work at that store for four years, helping to improve its marketing, store displays and windows. —Jean E. Palmieri, WWD, 26 Oct. 2024

George Conway, the former Republican (and White House husband) turned leading anti-Trumper, states bleakly on his podcast for the Bulwark, the news-and-opinion site, that Trump’s whole purpose is to avoid imprisonment, a motivation that would disgrace the leader of any Third World country. —Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2024

Noun

Morris has stepped down in disgrace, many elders were removed from their positions, and thousands of members have left the Gateway family. —Eric Killelea, Chron, 10 Oct. 2024

In fact, the disgrace was the attack on democracy and the rule of law, which requires us to settle disputes through arguments in courts of law, not through brute force in the halls of Congress. —Barbara McQuade, TIME, 11 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle French, from Old Italian disgrazia, from dis- (from Latin) + grazia grace, from Latin gratia — more at grace

First Known Use

Verb

1580, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Noun

1586, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing disgrace

• it is no disgrace

Kids Definition

disgrace

1 of 2 verb

dis·​grace dis-ˈgrās 

disgraced; disgracing

: to bring shame to

disgracer noun

disgrace

2 of 2 noun

1

: the condition of being looked down on : loss of respect

in disgrace with one's schoolmates

2

: dishonor entry 1 sense 1, shame

the disgrace of being a coward

3

: a cause of shame

that person's manners are a disgrace

disgraceful

dis-ˈgrās-fəl

adjective

disgracefully

-fə-lē

adverb

disgracefulness noun