dishonor
1 of 2noun
dis·hon·or (ˌ)dis-ˈä-nər 
also (ˌ)diz-
1
: lack or loss of honor or reputation
2
: the state of one who has lost honor or prestige : shame
has brought dishonor on his family
3
: a cause of disgrace
4
: the nonpayment or nonacceptance of commercial paper by the party on whom it is drawn
dishonorer
(ˌ)dis-ˈän-ər-ər
noun also (ˌ)diz-
dishonor
2 of 2verb
dishonored; dishonoring; dishonors
transitive verb
1
a
: to treat in a degrading manner
b
: to bring shame on
2
: to refuse to accept or pay (something, such as a bill or check)
Synonyms
Noun
- discredit
- disesteem
- disgrace
- disrepute
- ignominy
- infamy
- obloquy
- odium
- opprobrium
- reproach
- shame
Verb
- abase
- chasten
- cheapen
- debase
- degrade
- demean
- discredit
- disgrace
- foul
- humble
- humiliate
- lower
- shame
- sink
- smirch
- take down
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Noun warriors who choose death before dishonor He is afraid that his confession will bring dishonor on the family. Verb She dishonored her oath of office. The bank dishonored my check.
Recent Examples on the Web
Deanna Janes, Harper's BAZAAR, 15 July 2022 Greed, dishonor, scandal and murder aren’t normally associated with the sport of golf. Daniel Henninger, WSJ, 15 June 2022 As former PGA Tour professionals follow the money to LIV, the new Saudi golf league has the sport talking about scandal, dishonor and murder. Danny Heitman, WSJ, 17 June 2022 There will come a day when Donald Trump is gone, but your dishonor will remain. CBS News, 12 June 2022 Please spare a humble old man—who has dedicated his life to education—this legacy of dishonor. Craig Thomas, The New Yorker, 15 Jan. 2022 The tools for fighting inflation reside at the Federal Reserve, and there’s no dishonor in Biden acknowledging that. Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 11 Jan. 2022 Eventually, one woman is seized with a fit of honor and the other with a fit of dishonor, which puts Stan’s hubristic plans at risk. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 17 Dec. 2021 To paraphrase Winston Churchill, sacrificing Ukraine to keep Europe’s unstable equilibrium would be to choose dishonor without necessarily preventing war. Christopher A. Hartwell, WSJ, 10 Dec. 2021 Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica, 5 Aug. 2022 My efforts left my family aghast; my mother said that meeting the murderer would dishonor my father’s memory. The New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2022 To do nothing while free speech is imperiled is to ensure a tragedy that will dishonor every patriot who has sacrificed for us. WSJ, 20 Oct. 2021 Biden must not dishonor their grace and patriotism. Fox News Staff, Fox News, 6 Sep. 2021 The organizational capital that propelled TSMC to the top of global chip production is all but impossible to replicate in a country where IP is readily stolen and firms are liable to dishonor contracts. Daniel Tenreiro, National Review, 30 July 2021 From my perspective, falsehoods dishonor the organizations that PR agencies represent and go against everything PR stands for. Warren H. Cohn, Forbes, 10 May 2021 But officials have said the project does not seek to dishonor the nearly 200 Alamo defenders. Scott Huddleston, San Antonio Express-News, 9 Mar. 2021 Harris said no other decision would dishonor and disrespect Ginsburg's legacy than overturning Roe v. Wade. Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 29 Sep. 2020 See More
Noun
Breaking down Riley's comment on white privilege into a few short sentences here would be doing his satire and your virgin viewing experience a dishonor. Deanna Janes, Harper's BAZAAR, 15 July 2022 Greed, dishonor, scandal and murder aren’t normally associated with the sport of golf. Daniel Henninger, WSJ, 15 June 2022 As former PGA Tour professionals follow the money to LIV, the new Saudi golf league has the sport talking about scandal, dishonor and murder. Danny Heitman, WSJ, 17 June 2022 There will come a day when Donald Trump is gone, but your dishonor will remain. CBS News, 12 June 2022 Please spare a humble old man—who has dedicated his life to education—this legacy of dishonor. Craig Thomas, The New Yorker, 15 Jan. 2022 The tools for fighting inflation reside at the Federal Reserve, and there’s no dishonor in Biden acknowledging that. Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 11 Jan. 2022 Eventually, one woman is seized with a fit of honor and the other with a fit of dishonor, which puts Stan’s hubristic plans at risk. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 17 Dec. 2021 To paraphrase Winston Churchill, sacrificing Ukraine to keep Europe’s unstable equilibrium would be to choose dishonor without necessarily preventing war. Christopher A. Hartwell, WSJ, 10 Dec. 2021 Verb
Musk has no right to exit the agreement based on the number of spam accounts, Twitter wrote: The Counterclaims fail to justify Musk's plan to dishonor the merger agreement. Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica, 5 Aug. 2022 My efforts left my family aghast; my mother said that meeting the murderer would dishonor my father’s memory. The New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2022 To do nothing while free speech is imperiled is to ensure a tragedy that will dishonor every patriot who has sacrificed for us. WSJ, 20 Oct. 2021 Biden must not dishonor their grace and patriotism. Fox News Staff, Fox News, 6 Sep. 2021 The organizational capital that propelled TSMC to the top of global chip production is all but impossible to replicate in a country where IP is readily stolen and firms are liable to dishonor contracts. Daniel Tenreiro, National Review, 30 July 2021 From my perspective, falsehoods dishonor the organizations that PR agencies represent and go against everything PR stands for. Warren H. Cohn, Forbes, 10 May 2021 But officials have said the project does not seek to dishonor the nearly 200 Alamo defenders. Scott Huddleston, San Antonio Express-News, 9 Mar. 2021 Harris said no other decision would dishonor and disrespect Ginsburg's legacy than overturning Roe v. Wade. Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 29 Sep. 2020 See More Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English dishonour, from Anglo-French deshonur, from des- dis- + honur honor
First Known Use
Noun
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Phrases Containing dishonor
Kids Definition
dishonor 1 of 2
noun
dis·hon·or dis-ˈä-nər
1
: loss of honor or good name
He felt retreat would bring dishonor.
2
: a cause of disgrace
Her failure was a family dishonor.
dishonor
2 of 2verb
dishonored; dishonoring
: to bring shame on : disgrace
He dishonored his parents.
Legal Definition
dishonor 1 of 2
noun
dis·hon·or
: refusal on the part of the issuer (as a bank) to pay or accept commercial paper (as a check) when it is presented see also wrongful dishonor
dishonor
2 of 2transitive verb
: to refuse to pay or accept
a bank dishonoring the checks for insufficient funds
dishonor 1 of 2
noun
1
as in disgrace
the state of having lost the esteem of others a person of integrity who would prefer death to dishonor Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- disgrace
- shame
- contempt
- humiliation
- infamy
- discredit
- ignominy
- disrepute
- disdain
- reproach
- odium
- stigma
- obloquy
- opprobrium
- disesteem
- taint
- scandal
- disapproval
- scorn
- degradation
- stain
- debasement
- abasement
- disapprobation
- debasing
- despite
- blot
- dust
- deprecation
- slur
- humbling
- disfavor
- brand
- smirch
- shadow
- spot
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- honor
- respect
- esteem
- fear
- regard
- appreciation
- admiration
- estimation
- reverence
- glory
- fame
- awe
- repute
- renown
2
as in scandal
a cause of shame your expulsion from the military academy for cheating is a dishonor to this family Synonyms & Similar Words
- disgrace
- scandal
- stain
- reflection
- reproach
- taint
- opprobrium
- stigma
- blot
- slur
- smirch
- brand
- spot
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- honor
- credit
- pride
- glory
- treasure
- boast
- jewel
dishonor
2 of 2verb
as in to humiliate
to reduce to a lower standing in one's own eyes or in others' eyes dishonored herself by fixing the results of her medical research Synonyms & Similar Words
- humiliate
- discredit
- disgrace
- shame
- embarrass
- insult
- demean
- degrade
- debase
- humble
- cheapen
- abase
- confuse
- smirch
- chasten
- foul
- criticize
- ridicule
- rattle
- take down
- lower
- diminish
- mortify
- disparage
- slander
- minimize
- affront
- sink
- defame
- belittle
- defile
- discomfit
- discountenance
- condemn
- detract
- disconcert
- decry
- abash
- malign
- fluster
- discount
- libel
- confound
- depreciate
- cry down
- denounce
- censure
- castigate
- faze
- nonplus
- write off
- bad-mouth
- execrate
- reprobate
- reprehend
- put down
- damn
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- honor
- exalt
- elevate
- celebrate
- recognize
- acknowledge
- salute
- commend
- aggrandize
- praise
- congratulate
- deify
- applaud
- boast
- cite
- cheer
- compliment
- canonize
- laud
- decorate
- eulogize
- hail
- extol
- acclaim
- extoll
- tout
- highlight
- glorify
- dignify
- promote
- ennoble
- spotlight
- enshrine
- advance
- magnify
- raise
- fete
- upgrade
- lift
- uplift
- boost
- fête
- idealize
- romanticize
- play up
- enthrone
- ensky
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of dishonor are disgrace, disrepute, ignominy, and infamy. While all these words mean "the state or condition of suffering loss of esteem and of enduring reproach," dishonor emphasizes the loss of honor that one has enjoyed or the loss of self-esteem.
preferred death to life with dishonor
While the synonyms disgrace and dishonor are close in meaning, disgrace often implies humiliation and sometimes ostracism.
sent home in disgrace
The words disrepute and dishonor can be used in similar contexts, but disrepute stresses loss of one's good name or the acquiring of a bad reputation.
a once proud name fallen into disrepute
The meanings of ignominy and dishonor largely overlap; however, ignominy stresses humiliation.
the ignominy of being arrested
While in some cases nearly identical to dishonor, infamy usually implies notoriety as well as exceeding shame.
a day that lives in infamy