disgrace

See also: disgrâce

English

Etymology

From Middle French disgracier.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /dɪsˈɡɹeɪs/, /dɪzˈɡɹeɪs/
• (US) IPA^(key): /dɪsˈɡɹeɪs/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪs

Noun

disgrace (countable and uncountable, plural disgraces)

1. The condition of being out of favor; loss of favor, regard, or respect.
   • c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene vi], page 143:

     I heare / Macduffe liues in diſgrace. Sir, can you tell / Where he beſtowes himſelfe?

2. The state of being dishonored, or covered with shame.

   Synonyms: dishonor, ignominy

   Now she lives in disgrace.

3. (countable) Something which brings dishonor; the cause of reproach or shame; great discredit.

   His behaviour at the party was a total disgrace! He was leeching on all the ladies, and insulting the men.

   • 1853, Solomon Northup, chapter XIII, in [David Wilson], editor, Twelve Years a Slave. […], London: Sampson Low, Son & Co.; Auburn, N.Y.: Derby and Miller, →OCLC, page 179:

     Practice and whipping were alike unavailing, and Epps, satisfied of it at last, swore I was a disgrace—that I was not fit to associate with a cotton-picking "nigger"—that I could not pick enough in a day to pay the trouble of weighing it, and that I should go into the cotton field no more.

4. (obsolete) An act of unkindness; a disfavor.
   • 1625, Francis [Bacon], “Of Ambition. XXXVI.”, in The Essayes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret, →OCLC, page 221:

     As for the pulling of them [ambitious men] downe, if the Affaires require it, and that it may not be done with ſafety ſuddainly, the onely Way is, the Enterchange, continually of Fauours, and Diſgraces, whereby they may not know, what to expect; And be, as it were, in a Wood.

Synonyms

• misgrace (far less common)

Related terms

• disgraceful
• disgraceless

Translations

condition of being out of favor

• Arabic: عَار m (ʕār), خِزْي m (ḵizy), خَزًى m (ḵazan)
• Armenian: խայտառակություն (hy) (xaytaṙakutʻyun)
• Azerbaijani: rüsvay
• Belarusian: га́ньба f (hánʹba), бясчэ́сце n (bjasčéscje), со́рам m (sóram)
• Bengali: অপমান (bn) (opoman)
• Bulgarian: позо́р (bg) m (pozór), срам (bg) m (sram)
• Catalan: desgràcia (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 恥辱／耻辱 (zh) (chǐrǔ), 恥／耻 (zh) (chǐ), 辱 (zh) (rǔ)

• Czech: ostuda (cs) f, hanba (cs) f
• Danish: skændsel (da) c, vanære c
• Dutch: schande (nl) f
• Estonian: häbi
• Finnish: häpeä (fi), epäsuosio
• French: honte (fr) f, disgrâce (fr) f, ignominie (fr) f
• Georgian: შერცხვენა (šercxvena)
• German: Ungnade (de) f, Schande (de) f
• Gothic: 𐌹𐌳𐍅𐌴𐌹𐍄 n (idweit)
• Greek: δυσμένεια (el) f (dysméneia), όνειδος (el) m (óneidos), ανυποληψία (el) f (anypolipsía)

  Ancient: αἰσχύνη f (aiskhúnē)

• Hebrew: חֶרְפָּה (he) f (kherpá)
• Hindi: अपमान (hi) m (apmān)
• Hungarian: kegyvesztettség (hu), szégyen (hu)
• Icelandic: óvirðing (is) f
• Ido: deshonoro (io)
• Italian: vergogna (it) f
• Japanese: 恥 (ja) (はじ, haji), 恥辱 (ja) (ちじょく, chijoku), 不名誉 (ja) (ふめいよ, fumeiyo)
• Kazakh: масқара (masqara)
• Korean: 치욕(恥辱) (ko) (chiyok)
• Kyrgyz: маскара (maskara)
• Ladino: manziya, desgrasia
• Latin: dēdecus m, ignōminia f
• Macedonian: срам m (sram), срамота f (sramota)
• Manx: anghoo m
• Maori: māteatea
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: vanære (no) m or f

• Old Church Slavonic:

  Cyrillic: срамъ m (sramŭ)

  Glagolitic: ⱄⱃⰰⰿⱏ m (sramŭ)

• Old East Slavic: соромъ m (soromŭ)
• Old English: sċand f
• Persian: فضاحت (fa) (fazâhat), رسوایی (fa) (rosvâyi)
• Plautdietsch: Schaund f
• Polish: hańba (pl) f, sromota (pl) f
• Portuguese: desgraça (pt) f
• Romanian: dizgrație (ro) f
• Russian: позо́р (ru) m (pozór), бесче́стие (ru) n (besčéstije), срам (ru) m (sram), срамота́ (ru) f (sramotá)
• Sanskrit: अपकीर्ति (sa) f (apakīrti), अकीर्ति (sa) f (akīrti)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: срамо̀та f

  Roman: sramòta (sh) f

• Slovak: hanba (sk) f
• Slovene: sramota (sl) f
• Spanish: desgracia (es) f
• Swedish: skam (sv) c, onåd (sv) c, vanära (sv) c
• Tajik: фазихат (fazixat), фазоҳат (fazohat), расвои (rasvoyi), иснод (isnod)
• Ukrainian: ганьба́ (uk) f (hanʹbá), со́ром m (sórom)
• Uzbek: sharmandalik (uz), uyat (uz), isnod (uz)
• Vietnamese: sỉ nhục (vi) (恥辱)
• Yiddish: שאַנד (shand)

state of being dishonored

• Armenian: խայտառակություն (hy) (xaytaṙakutʻyun)
• Belarusian: ганьба́ f (hanʹbá), со́рам m (sóram)
• Bulgarian: позо́р (bg) m (pozór), безче́стие (bg) n (bezčéstie), срам (bg) m (sram)
• Czech: ponížení n, hanba (cs) f
• Danish: vanære c, skam (da) c, skændsel (da) c
• German: Schande (de) f, Schmach (de) f
• Greek: ατίμωση (el) f (atímosi)

  Ancient: ἀτίμωσις f (atímōsis)

• Hungarian: szégyen (hu), gyalázat (hu)
• Italian: infamia (it) f, ignominia (it) f
• Latin: infamia f
• Malayalam: മാനക്കേട് (ml) (mānakkēṭŭ)
• Manx: anghoo m
• Maori: māteatea
• Middle English: dishoneste
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: skam (no) m or f

• Old English: ǣwisċ f
• Plautdietsch: Schaund f
• Romanian: rușine (ro) f
• Russian: позо́р (ru) m (pozór)
• Ukrainian: ганьба́ (uk) f (hanʹbá)

that which brings dishonor

• Armenian: խայտառակություն (hy) (xaytaṙakutʻyun)
• Czech: ponižování (cs) n, ostouzení n
• Danish: skændsel (da) c
• Dutch: blamage (nl) f
• Finnish: häpeä (fi)
• Galician: deshonra f
• German: Schande (de) f, Schmach (de) f, Blamage (de) f, Peinlichkeit (de) f
• Greek: ντροπή (el) f (ntropí), αίσχος (el) n (aíschos), όνειδος (el) n (óneidos)
• Hungarian: szégyen (hu), szégyenteljes dolog, szégyenfolt (hu), csúfság (hu)
• Latin: flāgitium n, dēdecus n
• Malayalam: അപമാനം (ml) (apamānaṁ)
• Middle English: dishoneste
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: skam (no) m or f

• Romanian: ocară (ro) f
• Spanish: baldón (es) m
• Swedish: blamage (sv)

Verb

disgrace (third-person singular simple present disgraces, present participle disgracing, simple past and past participle disgraced)

1. (transitive) To put someone out of favor; to bring shame or ignominy upon.

Translations

bring shame upon

• Bulgarian: позоря́ (bg) impf (pozorjá), засра́мвам (bg) impf (zasrámvam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 羞辱 (zh) (xiūrǔ)

• Czech: ponižovat (cs) impf, ostouzet (cs) impf, zostudit pf
• Danish: bringe skam over, vanære
• Dutch: beschamen (nl)
• Esperanto: malhonorigi
• Finnish: häpäistä (fi), väheksyä (fi)
• Galician: deshonrar (gl)
• Gothic: 𐌲𐌰𐌰𐌹𐍅𐌹𐍃𐌺𐍉𐌽 (gaaiwiskōn)
• Greek: ατιμάζω (el) (atimázo), ντροπιάζω (el) (ntropiázo), καταισχύνω (kataischýno)

  Ancient: αἰσχύνω (aiskhúnō)

• Ido: desfavorizar (io)
• Irish: adhnáirigh
• Italian: disonorare (it)
• Latin: dehonestō
• Maori: tīkai, whakatīkai, tokoreko, whakatautauhea
• Polish: kompromitować (pl) impf, skompromitować pf
• Romanian: dizgrația (ro)
• Russian: позо́рить (ru) impf (pozóritʹ), опозо́рить (ru) pf (opozóritʹ), бесче́стить (ru) impf (besčéstitʹ), обесче́стить (ru) pf (obesčéstitʹ), срами́ть (ru) impf (sramítʹ), осрами́ть (ru) pf (osramítʹ)
• Spanish: deshonrar (es)
• Telugu: అవమానించు (te) (avamāniñcu)

Further reading

• “disgrace”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “disgrace”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.