inglorious

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English

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Etymology

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From in- +‎ glorious; from Latin inglōrius; first known use: 1565-75.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ɪnˈɡlɔɹi.əs/, /ɪnˈɡloʊɹi.əs/
  • Hyphenation: in‧glo‧ri‧ous
  • Rhymes: -ɔːɹiəs

Adjective

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inglorious (comparative more inglorious, superlative most inglorious)

  1. Ignominious; disgraceful.
    • c. 1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Iohn”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies [] (First Folio), London: [] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i]:
      O inglorious league! / Shall we, upon the footing of our land, / Send fair-play orders and make compromise, / Insinuation, parley and base truce / To arms invasive?
    • 1816 June – 1817 April/May (date written), [Mary Shelley], chapter 6, in Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. [], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: [] [Macdonald and Son] for Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, & Jones, published 1 January 1818, →OCLC:
      Resolved to pursue no inglorious career, he turned his eyes toward the East.
    • 1906 May–October, Jack London, chapter VI, in White Fang, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., published October 1906, →OCLC, part 3 (The Gods of the Wild):
      He cast about in his mind for a way to beat a retreat not too inglorious.
    • 1945 September and October, C. Hamilton Ellis, “Royal Trains—V”, in Railway Magazine, page 251:
      The last occasion on which the Kaiser [Wilhelm II] used this train was for an inglorious journey into Holland towards the end of the 1914 war. He spent the night in it at Eysden [Eijsden], while the Queen of the Netherlands and a hastily summoned Cabinet debated what to do with him.
  2. Not famous; obscure.

Translations

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Further reading

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