indignity
noun
in·dig·ni·ty
in-ˈdig-nə-tē 
plural indignities
1
a
: an act that offends against a person's dignity or self-respect : insult
b
: humiliating treatment
2
obsolete
: lack or loss of dignity or honor
Examples of indignity in a Sentence
He remembers all the indignities he had to suffer in the early years of his career.
We must endure the indignities of growing old.
He suffered the indignity of being forced to leave the courtroom.
The indignity of it all was too much to bear.
Recent Examples on the Web
Hiller, an avid reader of celebrity memoirs, titles each chapter after one of them, while recounting the indignities of being gay in Hollywood, his evolving relationship with the church, and studying abroad in Namibia.
—
Hilton Als, New Yorker, 1 Aug. 2025
As America has become more divided politically and economically, and the rate of technological change has accelerated, there is something comforting and unchallenging about Morgan’s tales of minor indignities, something that reminds people of how much everyone has in common.
—Belinda Luscombe, Time, 24 July 2025
Resy and Toast save people the indignity of waiting for a table or having to negotiate with a host.
—Russell Shaw, The Atlantic, 11 July 2025
How rare to experience a victory over the irrational and superstitious, the indignity that is universally agreed to be a waste of human purpose.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 10 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for indignity
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Hilton Als, New Yorker, 1 Aug. 2025
As America has become more divided politically and economically, and the rate of technological change has accelerated, there is something comforting and unchallenging about Morgan’s tales of minor indignities, something that reminds people of how much everyone has in common.
—Belinda Luscombe, Time, 24 July 2025
Resy and Toast save people the indignity of waiting for a table or having to negotiate with a host.
—Russell Shaw, The Atlantic, 11 July 2025
How rare to experience a victory over the irrational and superstitious, the indignity that is universally agreed to be a waste of human purpose.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 10 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for indignity
Cite this Entry
“Indignity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/indignity. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
indignity
noun
in·dig·ni·ty
in-ˈdig-nət-ē
plural indignities
1
: an act that injures a person's dignity or self-respect : insult
2
: humiliating treatment
Legal Definition
indignity
noun
in·dig·ni·ty
in-ˈdig-nə-tē
plural indignities
: persistent and intolerable behavior toward a spouse especially as a manifestation of settled estrangement
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
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