dishonorable

adjective

dis·​hon·​or·​able (ˌ)dis-ˈä-nə-rə-bəl How to pronounce dishonorable (audio)
-ˈä-nər-bəl
1
: lacking honor : shameful
dishonorable conduct
2
archaic : not honored
dishonorableness noun
dishonorably
(ˌ)dis-ˈä-nə-rə-blē How to pronounce dishonorable (audio)
-ˈä-nər-blē
adverb

Examples of dishonorable in a Sentence

His dishonorable behavior has shamed the family. resorted to dishonorable tactics in order to win the game
Recent Examples on the Web His directness, coupled with a vain attempt to save/redeem the drones working the phone lines, comes across as chivalrous in the face of such dishonorable behavior. Peter Debruge, Variety, 10 Jan. 2024 Is assimilation a dishonorable way to stay alive, or is living what matters and honor a mere scutcheon? Sara Holdren, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2024 The national background check system looks for issues like a criminal conviction, mental health problems, a dishonorable military discharge, unlawful immigration status or a domestic violence restraining order. Serge F. Kovaleski, New York Times, 29 Nov. 2023 Exploring America’s dishonorable past causes Scorsese to confuse his knowledge of genre. Armond White, National Review, 20 Oct. 2023 To Kazan’s behavior Miller contrasted that of saintly, seventy-one-year-old Rebecca Nurse, the Salem great-grandmother who in 1692, on trial for her life, held her ground, refusing to utter the lie that dishonorable men demanded of her. Stacy Schiff, The New York Review of Books, 22 Dec. 2022 The dishonorable conduct spelled out in black and white in the cache of legal filings would get most journalists fired at actual news organizations and constitute scandals that would permanently run them out of the news business — maybe even other industries as well. Oliver Darcy, CNN, 22 Aug. 2023 Not doing so is dishonorable and suggests that both the victim and thief lack integrity. Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 11 Aug. 2023 That type of discharge — which is not dishonorable — would not set off red flags or require any reports to law enforcement. Allana Durkin Richer, Michael Kunzelman and Lindsay Whitehurst, Chicago Tribune, 9 May 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dishonorable.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1534, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of dishonorable was in 1534

Dictionary Entries Near dishonorable

Cite this Entry

“Dishonorable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dishonorable. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

dishonorable

adjective
dis·​hon·​or·​able -ˈän-(ə-)rə-bəl How to pronounce dishonorable (audio)
-ˈän-ər-bəl
: not honorable : shameful
dishonorable conduct
dishonorably adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on dishonorable

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