opprobrium
noun
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Unfamiliar with opprobrium? Tsk, tsk, tsk. Just kidding—unfamiliarity with a word is hardly grounds for, well, opprobrium. We're here to learn! Besides, opprobrium is quite formal and has few close relations in English. It comes from the Latin verb opprobrāre, which means "to reproach." That verb, in turn, comes from the noun probrum, meaning "a disgraceful act" or "reproach." The adjective form of opprobrium is opprobrious, which in English means "deserving of scorn" or "expressing contempt." One might commit an "opprobrious crime" or be berated with "opprobrious language," for example.
Examples of opprobrium in a Sentence
Tyler Jost, Foreign Affairs, 27 June 2024
When, in 2018, outspoken Bangladeshi photographer Shahidul Alam was thrown in jail following criticism of the government, the public opprobrium was so ferocious that authorities felt pressured to release him on bail after 107 days.
—Charlie Campbell, TIME, 24 June 2024
Tehran’s strikes have also generated much international sympathy for Israel and opprobrium for itself—partly inverting an international dynamic at work just days earlier.
—Ali Vaez, Foreign Affairs, 15 Apr. 2024
Israel already got a glimpse of this problem in March, when Hamas fighters regrouped in al Shifa hospital, which Israel had previously cleared at the cost of much opprobrium, forcing Israeli forces to attack the facility once again.
—Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 5 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for opprobrium 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'opprobrium.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Opprobrium.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/opprobrium. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
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opprobrium
noun
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