dishonored

IPA/dɪsˈɒnəd/
KK[dɪsˈɑnɚd]IPA/dɪsˈɑːnərd/

dishonored — noun

1. the painful loss of other people's respect, often caused by doing something mora

1.nounB2
Definition

the painful loss of other people's respect, often caused by doing something morally wrong or failing to do what duty requires.

Example

After the scandal, the mayor resigned in dishonor rather than face the public.

resign + in dishonor — collocation for leaving office due to shame

Kofi chose dishonor over betraying his closest friend to the authorities.

choose dishonor over + gerund — pattern for choosing shame over another action

Common collocations
  • bring dishonor to
  • live in dishonor
  • die in dishonor
  • a life of dishonor
  • a sense of dishonor
Synonyms
  • disgrace

    slightly more common in everyday speech; 'dishonor' is more formal

  • shame

    focuses more on the personal emotion than the social rejection

  • infamy

    suggests lasting, widely known disgrace for evil acts; much stronger

  • disrepute

    describes loss of good reputation rather than the emotional impact

Antonyms
  • honor

    the direct opposite — respect and good reputation

  • glory

    great honor and praise, often for achievements

Grammar Patterns

dishonor + of + noun

in dishonor

bring dishonor to

Usage Note

Frequently uncountable when referring to the state or feeling ('a life of dishonor'). It can be countable when pointing to one specific source of shame ('It was a dishonor to the family').

Common Mistakes

He felt a dishonor for his actions.
He felt dishonor for his actions.
When referring to the inner feeling, 'dishonor' is uncountable and does not take 'a'.

dishonored — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe a loss of respect, but they differ in emphasis and strength. 'Dishonor' is the most formal and often implies a broken code or duty — a soldier brings dishonor by surrendering, while a politician brings disgrace by lying. 'Disgrace' is more common in everyday English and suggests public rejection ('the team left the field in disgrace'). 'Shame' is more personal and emotional, focusing on the internal feeling rather than social standing ('he felt deep shame'). 'Infamy' is far stronger, used for people or acts known worldwide for evil ('the infamy of the dictator'). 'Disrepute' describes a fallen reputation without the emotional weight ('the clinic fell into disrepute'). If you want a neutral, formal term for losing respect, use 'dishonor'. For everyday conversation about public embarrassment, use 'disgrace'. For the private emotion, use 'shame'.

disgrace ↗shame ↗infamy ↗disrepute ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • bring dishonor to
  • feel dishonored by
  • live in dishonor
  • a sense of dishonor

Prepositions

Etymology

Old FrenchAnglo-NormanMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word came into English through Old French 'deshonor' (modern French 'déshonneur'), which combined the reversal prefix 'des-' with 'honor' (honor, good reputation). English adopted it in the 1200s. The financial meaning — refusing to pay a check or bill — developed in the late 1700s as modern banking grew. The US spelling 'dishonor' dropped the 'u' from the British 'dishonour' during the spelling reforms of the early 1800s.