dishonour
gb/dɪʃənɚ/ us/dɪʃənɚ/
C1
English
~ 9900
Senses
0 senses
Noun
formal
C1
state
1
loss of respect or reputation
The state of losing respect from other people because you did something bad.
Usage pattern:
fall into [dishonour]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse ‘dishonour’ with ‘dishonesty’. ‘Dishonour’ is about losing respect and reputation, while ‘dishonesty’ is about not telling the truth or not being fair.
Synonyms
disgrace (Very close in meaning; slightly more common in modern English.)
|
shame (Can refer more to the feeling; ‘dishonour’ focuses more on social reputation.)
|
dishonor (US spelling of the same idea; slightly more common overall because of American usage.)
Antonyms
honour (The positive state of having respect and a good name.)
|
respect (General positive regard that is lost when someone falls into dishonour.)
Collocations
public dishonour
|family dishonour
|live in dishonour
|in disgrace and dishonour
|bring dishonour
Themes
emotions
|reputation
|society
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- He died in dishonour after the corruption scandal was revealed.
- The general returned home in disgrace and dishonour.
- The affair brought lasting dishonour on the royal household.
- They considered surrender a fate worse than dishonour.
Learner examples
- He lived the rest of his life in dishonour.
- The lie brought great dishonour to his name.
- She felt that her family was in dishonour after the news.
- The crime was a source of deep dishonour for them.
Verb
formal
C1
action
2
to bring shame on someone
To make people lose respect for someone or something because of bad actions.
Usage pattern:
[someone/something] dishonours [someone/something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes try to use ‘dishonour’ as an adjective (e.g. *a dishonour man*). The adjective is ‘dishonourable’, and ‘dishonour’ is the verb or noun.
Synonyms
disgrace (Very close in meaning; often used for serious damage to reputation.)
|
shame (Slightly broader and more emotional; can refer to making someone feel ashamed as well as harming their reputation.)
|
tarnish (Suggests making a reputation less clean or pure, sometimes less strong than ‘dishonour’.)
Antonyms
honour (To show great respect for someone or something, the opposite of causing shame.)
|
uphold (To support or maintain a standard or reputation, not damage it.)
Collocations
dishonour his family
|dishonour her memory
|dishonour the uniform
|dishonour the office
|dishonour their country
Themes
emotions
|reputation
|behaviour
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- By taking bribes, he dishonoured his office and his country.
- She felt that publishing the photos would dishonour the dead.
- Their behaviour on the field dishonoured the team's proud history.
- The soldiers who looted the village dishonoured the uniform they wore.
Learner examples
- He dishonoured his family when he lied in court.
- The player dishonoured the team by cheating.
- They said the film dishonoured the hero's memory.
- Such actions dishonour the name of the school.
Verb
formal
C2
action
3
to break a promise or agreement
To not do what you promised or agreed, and so show no respect for the promise or agreement.
Usage pattern:
dishonour [a promise/an agreement]
Common mistake:
Learners may think ‘dishonour a promise’ means to insult the promise. It means to fail to keep the promise, not to speak badly about it.
Synonyms
break (Used in the common phrase ‘break a promise’; more everyday than ‘dishonour’.)
|
violate (More formal; often used with ‘treaty’, ‘agreement’, or ‘rights’.)
|
renege on (Phrasal verb often used for promises or deals; slightly informal or legalistic.)
Antonyms
honour (Used in the opposite phrase ‘honour a promise/agreement’, meaning to keep it.)
|
keep (As in ‘keep a promise’; common, neutral opposite.)
Collocations
dishonour a promise
|dishonour an agreement
|dishonour a treaty
|dishonour a contract
|dishonour their word
Themes
law
|politics
|business
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The government was accused of dishonouring its election promises within a year.
- Refusing to pay his workers would be to dishonour the agreement he had signed.
- They argued that the company had dishonoured its contract with local farmers.
- To dishonour this treaty would damage the country's standing in the region.
Learner examples
- He dishonoured his promise to help us.
- The company dishonoured the contract and stopped the payments.
- Many voters felt the leader dishonoured his word.
- We must not dishonour the agreement we made.
Noun
formal
C1
entity
4
person or thing that is a disgrace
A person or thing that makes a family, group, or name look bad.
Usage pattern:
[someone] is a dishonour to [group]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say *he is dishonour* without an article. In this sense, ‘dishonour’ is a countable noun, so say ‘He is a dishonour to his family.’
Synonyms
disgrace (Very close meaning; can refer to both the person and the situation.)
|
shame (When used about a person (‘He is a shame to us’), similar but slightly more emotional.)
|
black sheep (Informal idiom for a family member who brings shame; more colloquial than ‘dishonour’.)
Antonyms
pride (As in ‘She is the pride of the family’, the positive counterpart.)
|
credit (As in ‘He is a credit to his profession’, meaning someone who brings respect.)
Collocations
a dishonour to his family
|a national dishonour
|a dishonour to the name
|a dishonour to the profession
|a dishonour to the uniform
Themes
emotions
|reputation
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- They called him a dishonour to the uniform he wore.
- Her corrupt actions were a dishonour to the name she carried.
- Many saw the prison as a national dishonour.
- Such behaviour is a dishonour to the whole profession.
Learner examples
- They said he was a dishonour to his family.
- The cheating player is a dishonour to the sport.
- These bad schools are a dishonour to the country.
- His lies are a dishonour to the office he holds.
Verb
technical
C2
action
5
to refuse to pay a cheque
When a bank does not pay a cheque or similar paper when someone asks for the money.
Usage pattern:
[a bank] dishonours [a cheque/bill]
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this with the general ‘shame’ meaning of ‘dishonour’. In banking, ‘dishonour a cheque’ means ‘refuse to pay it’, not ‘make the cheque feel ashamed’.
Synonyms
bounce (Informal, commonly used about cheques that are not paid.)
|
reject (General verb; in this context, means not to accept the cheque for payment.)
|
decline (Often used in banking for refused payments, e.g. ‘decline a payment’.)
Antonyms
honour (Technical opposite: to pay a cheque or bill when it is presented.)
|
clear (Common banking term meaning the bank successfully processes and pays the cheque.)
Collocations
dishonour a cheque
|dishonour a bill of exchange
|payment was dishonoured
|dishonoured cheque
|dishonoured instrument
Themes
business
|law
|finance
Examples
- The bank dishonoured the cheque because there were insufficient funds in his account.
- If the bill is dishonoured, you may be liable for additional charges.
- Several payments were dishonoured after the company went into liquidation.
Learner examples
- The bank dishonoured his cheque.
- My payment was dishonoured because I had no money in the account.
- If your cheque is dishonoured, you must pay a fee.
Verb
archaic
C2
action
6
to rape or sexually violate (archaic)
In old writing, to rape someone or to have sex with an unmarried woman so that people see her as shamed.
Usage pattern:
dishonour [a woman/someone]
Common mistake:
Because this sense is archaic and euphemistic, learners may think it means only to ‘insult’ someone. In older texts, ‘dishonour a woman’ usually refers to serious sexual violence or sex that destroys her social reputation.
Synonyms
rape (Direct modern legal term; harsher and more explicit than the older euphemistic ‘dishonour’.)
|
violate (Formal or old-fashioned verb used similarly in older texts.)
Antonyms
protect (To keep someone safe from sexual violence or harm.)
|
respect (To treat someone, including their body and choices, with dignity and without harm.)
Collocations
dishonour a woman
|dishonoured her
|fear of being dishonoured
|dishonoured against her will
Themes
violence
|relationships
|history
|law
|health
Examples
- She feared that if she were captured, the soldiers would dishonour her.
- In the novel, the villain kidnaps and dishonours the young heiress.
- The threat of being dishonoured was often used to control women's behaviour in those times.
Learner examples
- The story says the enemy tried to dishonour her.
- In many old books, men dishonour women and receive no punishment.
- He was jailed because he dishonoured a young woman.
Grammar
Dictionary form
dishonour
IPA
GB/dɪʃənɚ/
US/dɪʃənɚ/
Syllables & stress
dis - hon - our (3 syllables)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: dishonour
- Plural: dishonour
Verb
- Base: dishonour
- 3rd Person Singular: dishonours
- Present Participle: dishonouring
- Past: dishonoured
Word family
Forms
dishonours
verb
dishonouring
verb
dishonoured
verb
Core family
dishonourable
adjective
Related words
Expressions
badge of dishonour
1/bˈæd͡ʒ əv dɪʃənɚ/
idiom
a mark that shows shame
Something that clearly shows a person or group should feel shame, not pride.
Examples
- The high prison population is a badge of dishonour for the country.
- Corruption in local government has become a badge of dishonour for the region.
bring dishonour on
1/bɹˈɪŋ dɪʃənɚ ˈɔn/
fixed phrase
formal
cause shame to someone or something
To make a person, family, group, or country lose respect in other people's eyes.
Examples
- The scandal brought dishonour on the entire government.
- His actions on the battlefield brought dishonour on his regiment.
- They warned that cheating would bring dishonour on the team.
cover oneself in dishonour
1/kˈʌvɚ wˌʌnsˈɛlf ˈɪn dɪʃənɚ/
fixed phrase
formal
bring great shame on oneself
To do something very bad that makes people lose a lot of respect for you.
Examples
- He covered himself in dishonour by lying during the trial.
- The team covered themselves in dishonour with their violent behaviour on the pitch.
fall into dishonour
1/fˈɔl ˈɪntu dɪʃənɚ/
fixed phrase
formal
lose respect and good name
To lose respect and a good name, usually because of bad actions becoming known.
Examples
- Once the fraud was exposed, he fell into dishonour and isolation.
- The party fell into dishonour after years of corruption scandals.
in disgrace and dishonour
1/ˈɪn dɪsɡɹˈeɪs ˈænd dɪʃənɚ/
fixed phrase
formal
in a state of complete shame
In a very bad situation where everyone has lost respect for you.
Examples
- He left public life in disgrace and dishonour.
- The minister resigned in disgrace and dishonour after the report was published.
live in dishonour
1/lˈɪv ˈɪn dɪʃənɚ/
fixed phrase
formal
continue life without respect
To continue your life after people have lost respect for you because of something bad you did.
Examples
- He chose exile and lived in dishonour for the rest of his days.
- She refused to live in dishonour and fought to clear her name.