disgrace
1 of 2verb
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
Robert Browning disgracer noun
disgrace
2 of 2noun
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
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
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. See More
Recent Examples on the Web Hunter Ingram, Variety, 4 Aug. 2022 But disgrace, debt and depression are three D’s that leave room for recovery. Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 10 Aug. 2022 He ultimately got convicted of crimes and had to resign and disgrace it’s today in Ohio, the news podcast discussion from cleveland.com and the plane dealer. Laura Johnston, cleveland, 22 Mar. 2022 She is abandoned by her partner and left with an unplanned pregnancy that could disgrace her family’s reputation. Erica Gonzales, ELLE, 26 Jan. 2022 How America and Americans choose to honor or disgrace Mr. Floyd's memory has become a Rorschach test. Peniel E. Joseph, CNN, 6 Oct. 2021 The man was a cherubic young pastor whose self-worth issues and deep belief in his interpretation of Scripture led to disgrace. Matt Donnelly, Variety, 8 Sep. 2021 Despite the rhetoric from his administration, the truth is Biden chose defeat and disgrace in Afghanistan. Rich Lowry, National Review, 31 Aug. 2021 Ferguson, interviewing them from behind the camera (Matt Damon narrates the film), questions them with increasing exasperation, and, one after another, the academics disgrace themselves. Richard Brod, The New Yorker, 11 Aug. 2021 The Editors, National Review, 12 July 2022 Are the authoritarians who grace, or disgrace, our world, from Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to Vladimir Putin, more like or unlike their twentieth-century predecessors? Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 16 May 2022 But the manner in which Mr. Biden has executed this withdrawal is a disgrace, unworthy of the courageous American service men and women whose blood still stains the soil of Afghanistan. Mike Pence, WSJ, 17 Aug. 2021 In September 2007, after only a year in office, Mr. Abe resigned in disgrace. Daniel Sneider, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 July 2022 Hochul, who at the time was the state’s lieutenant governor, was sworn in last August as New York’s first female governor, after three-term Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned in disgrace amid multiple scandals. Paul Steinhauser, Fox News, 29 June 2022 Nixon got his pardon and a partial image makeover after leaving the White House in disgrace. Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 15 June 2022 The scale of the electoral task faced by Mr. Johnson should become clearer in two weeks when voters go to the polls in two districts to replace Conservative lawmakers who resigned from Parliament in disgrace. New York Times, 7 June 2022 Ultimately, the decision to foment and create falseness in a community where real users expected authenticity is an epic disgrace. Emil Sayegh, Forbes, 4 Aug. 2022 See More
Verb
The Silicon Valley wunderkind went from deity to disgrace in spectacular fashion, and Seyfried says changing any of it would have been, well, a crime. Hunter Ingram, Variety, 4 Aug. 2022 But disgrace, debt and depression are three D’s that leave room for recovery. Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 10 Aug. 2022 He ultimately got convicted of crimes and had to resign and disgrace it’s today in Ohio, the news podcast discussion from cleveland.com and the plane dealer. Laura Johnston, cleveland, 22 Mar. 2022 She is abandoned by her partner and left with an unplanned pregnancy that could disgrace her family’s reputation. Erica Gonzales, ELLE, 26 Jan. 2022 How America and Americans choose to honor or disgrace Mr. Floyd's memory has become a Rorschach test. Peniel E. Joseph, CNN, 6 Oct. 2021 The man was a cherubic young pastor whose self-worth issues and deep belief in his interpretation of Scripture led to disgrace. Matt Donnelly, Variety, 8 Sep. 2021 Despite the rhetoric from his administration, the truth is Biden chose defeat and disgrace in Afghanistan. Rich Lowry, National Review, 31 Aug. 2021 Ferguson, interviewing them from behind the camera (Matt Damon narrates the film), questions them with increasing exasperation, and, one after another, the academics disgrace themselves. Richard Brod, The New Yorker, 11 Aug. 2021 Noun
Bragg is a disgrace, the biggest threat to law and order in Manhattan in decades. The Editors, National Review, 12 July 2022 Are the authoritarians who grace, or disgrace, our world, from Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to Vladimir Putin, more like or unlike their twentieth-century predecessors? Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 16 May 2022 But the manner in which Mr. Biden has executed this withdrawal is a disgrace, unworthy of the courageous American service men and women whose blood still stains the soil of Afghanistan. Mike Pence, WSJ, 17 Aug. 2021 In September 2007, after only a year in office, Mr. Abe resigned in disgrace. Daniel Sneider, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 July 2022 Hochul, who at the time was the state’s lieutenant governor, was sworn in last August as New York’s first female governor, after three-term Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned in disgrace amid multiple scandals. Paul Steinhauser, Fox News, 29 June 2022 Nixon got his pardon and a partial image makeover after leaving the White House in disgrace. Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 15 June 2022 The scale of the electoral task faced by Mr. Johnson should become clearer in two weeks when voters go to the polls in two districts to replace Conservative lawmakers who resigned from Parliament in disgrace. New York Times, 7 June 2022 Ultimately, the decision to foment and create falseness in a community where real users expected authenticity is an epic disgrace. Emil Sayegh, Forbes, 4 Aug. 2022 See More 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
Kids Definition
disgrace 1 of 2
verb
dis·grace di-ˈskrās
dis-ˈgrās
disgraced; disgracing
: to bring shame to
Her behavior disgraced the family.
disgrace
2 of 2noun
1
: the condition of being looked down on : loss of respect
He resigned in disgrace.
2
: a cause of shame
It was a disgrace to be chained, and he felt it deeply … Laura Ingalls Wilder, Little House on the Prairie
Laura Ingalls Wilder, Little House on the Prairiedisgrace 1 of 2
noun
1
as in shame
the state of having lost the esteem of others the players who threw the game were in disgrace with their schoolmates Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- shame
- humiliation
- contempt
- dishonor
- ignominy
- disrepute
- infamy
- discredit
- disdain
- stigma
- scandal
- reproach
- odium
- opprobrium
- obloquy
- disesteem
- disapproval
- taint
- scorn
- degradation
- stain
- disapprobation
- abasement
- debasement
- despite
- debasing
- dust
- humbling
- blot
- slur
- deprecation
- disfavor
- brand
- smirch
- shadow
- spot
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- respect
- honor
- esteem
- fear
- admiration
- regard
- glory
- appreciation
- estimation
- reverence
- fame
- awe
- renown
- repute
2
as in scandal
a cause of shame the exposure of his criminal record was a huge disgrace for the councilman Synonyms & Similar Words
- scandal
- dishonor
- reflection
- stain
- reproach
- opprobrium
- stigma
- taint
- blot
- slur
- smirch
- brand
- spot
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- honor
- credit
- pride
- glory
- treasure
- jewel
- boast
3
as in pity
a regrettable or blameworthy act it's a disgrace to let all the leftover food from the banquet go to waste, so let's deliver it to the homeless shelter Synonyms & Similar Words
- shame
- pity
- crime
- scandal
- sin
- outrage
disgrace
2 of 2verb
as in to humiliate
to reduce to a lower standing in one's own eyes or in others' eyes disgraced by the shameful actions of their leader Synonyms & Similar Words
- humiliate
- shame
- discredit
- dishonor
- embarrass
- insult
- humble
- degrade
- smirch
- demean
- confuse
- debase
- cheapen
- abase
- foul
- rattle
- ridicule
- chasten
- take down
- criticize
- lower
- affront
- diminish
- sink
- slander
- disparage
- mortify
- disconcert
- detract
- abash
- discomfit
- minimize
- belittle
- fluster
- libel
- defame
- faze
- condemn
- decry
- nonplus
- cry down
- discountenance
- malign
- confound
- discount
- defile
- depreciate
- censure
- castigate
- write off
- denounce
- execrate
- damn
- bad-mouth
- reprobate
- put down
- reprehend
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- honor
- exalt
- salute
- applaud
- praise
- congratulate
- commend
- elevate
- celebrate
- cheer
- compliment
- aggrandize
- deify
- boast
- laud
- recognize
- hail
- acknowledge
- acclaim
- eulogize
- canonize
- cite
- decorate
- dignify
- extoll
- extol
- tout
- glorify
- highlight
- spotlight
- ennoble
- fete
- promote
- magnify
- enshrine
- advance
- uplift
- lift
- upgrade
- raise
- boost
- fête
- romanticize
- idealize
- play up
- enthrone
- ensky
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of disgrace are dishonor, disrepute, ignominy, and infamy. While all these words 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
While in some cases nearly identical to disgrace, dishonor emphasizes the loss of honor that one has enjoyed or the loss of self-esteem.
preferred death to life with dishonor
In some situations, the words disrepute and disgrace are roughly equivalent. However, disrepute stresses loss of one's good name or the acquiring of a bad reputation.
a once proud name fallen into disrepute
The synonyms ignominy and disgrace are sometimes interchangeable, but ignominy stresses humiliation.
the ignominy of being arrested
The words infamy and disgrace can be used in similar contexts, but infamy usually implies notoriety as well as exceeding shame.
a day that lives in infamy
- play (around)
- play (it) smart
- play (on or upon)
- play (someone or something) off against (someone or something)
- play (upon)
- play (with)
- play a game of cat and mouse
- play a part in
- play a trick on
- play a trick on (someone)
- play a trick on someone
- play about
- play along
- play around
- play at
- play at being
- play at being something
- play ball
- play both ends against the middle
- play by ear
- play cat and mouse
- play catch-up
- play close to one's chest
- play close to the vest
- play coy