Indignation

How to spell indignation

11 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce indignation

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does indignation mean?

1. nounAnger or scorn provoked by something felt to be unjust, unfair, or unworthy.

Indignation in a sentence

• The hidden service charge on the bill caused widespread indignation among the diners.

• She wrote a letter of indignation to the council after the broken promise.

Where does indignation come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word comes from the Latin indignatio, a noun built on the verb indignari, which meant 'to regard something as unworthy or shameful'. That verb in turn was formed from in-, meaning 'not', and dignus, meaning 'worthy' or 'fitting', so at its root indignation is literally a reaction to something judged unworthy of acceptance. English took it in through Old French during the 1300s, and from the start it carried the sense of righteous anger stirred by injustice or mean behaviour. The same dignus root still sits inside familiar relatives such as 'dignity', 'dignified', and 'deign', which is a handy reminder that the spelling keeps a silent g before the n. Keeping the dign part in mind also helps with the trap of the unstressed middle vowels.

How the word is built

• in- (not)
• dign (worthy, from Latin dignus)
• -ation (noun-forming suffix)