dishonorable

English

Alternative forms

• dishonourable (UK)

Pronunciation

• Audio (Southern England):

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Adjective

dishonorable (comparative more dishonorable, superlative most dishonorable) (American spelling)

1. Without honor, or causing dishonor.
   • 1849 December 15, Frederick William Robertson, Sermon 14, “The Principle of Spiritual Harvest”:

     I say not always dishonorable qualifications, but a certain flexibility of disposition; a certain courtly willingness to sink obnoxious truths, and adapt ourselves to the prejudices of the minds of others […]

   • 1866, Herman Melville, Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War‎^[1], Supplement:

     But, setting this view aside, dishonorable would it be in the South were she willing to abandon to shame the memory of brave men who with signal personal disinterestedness warred in her behalf, though from motives, as we believe, so deplorably astray.

   • 1931 January 26, “Done to a Turn”, in Time:

     His sadistic self-torturings finally landed him in a pretty mess: still completely married, practically sure he was in love with Tillie, he made dishonorable proposals of marriage to two other women.

2. Lacking respect for ethical principles. (Can we add an example for this sense?)

Synonyms

• disingenuous
• grubby
• ignoble

Derived terms

• dishonorable discharge
• dishonorableness
• dishonorably

Translations

without honour

• Bulgarian: нечестен (bg) (nečesten), непочтен (bg) (nepočten)
• Catalan: deshonrós
• French: déshonoré (fr), honteux (fr)
• Gothic: 𐌿𐌽𐍃𐍅𐌴𐍂𐍃 (unswērs)
• Greek: ατιμωτικός (el) (atimotikós)

  Ancient Greek: ἄτιμος (átimos)

• Latin: inhonestus
• Māori: hōnorekore
• Middle English: unhoneste
• Russian: бесче́стный (ru) (besčéstnyj)
• Spanish: deshonroso
• Turkish:

  Ottoman Turkish: ناموسسز (namussuz)

• Ukrainian: безче́сний (uk) (bezčésnyj)