stigma means an indication of infamy or disgrace. It carries an Arena rating of 1629, earned across 2 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, stigma ranks #264 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #342 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #738 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #925 of 17,131 for Scariest Words.
stigma is pronounced /ˈstɪɡmə/.
Why “stigma” is a great word
A mark of disgrace or infamy associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person, often leading to social disapproval. From Latin stigma ("mark, brand"), from Ancient Greek στίγμα (stígma, "mark of slavery or disgrace"), from στίζω (stízō, "to mark, to tattoo"). Unlike a "blemish"—which is merely a physical flaw—or "prejudice"—which is the prior, internal attitude—stigma is the social consequence made manifest, the brand burned into one's standing by the collective. It is the empty seat on the morning train, the whispered diagnosis that travels faster than the person it names, the particular silence that falls when certain histories are spoken aloud—the indelible script with which society writes its fears onto the flesh of the other.
Etymology
From Latin stigma, from Ancient Greek στίγμα (stígma, “mark of slavery or disgrace”), from στίζω (stízō, “to mark”). Closely related to stigme, and distantly related to stick.
noun
- An indication of infamy or disgrace.e.g.“But to have as an enforced dining companion a man who was probably a Papist, certainly a rake, and bore the stigma of cowardice, was anathema.” — 2023 September 8, David Donachie, A Shred of Honour: A Markham of the Marines Novel, Rowman & Littlefield, →ISBN, page 2:
- An indication of infamy or disgrace.; A permanent identity mark branded, cut or tattooed onto the skin, typically given to slaves, criminals and traitors.
- An indication of infamy or disgrace.; A negative and often unfair attitude (held by a group or society, to something).
- An indication of infamy or disgrace.; A mark on the body corresponding to one of the wounds of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ, and sometimes reported to bleed periodically.
- An indication of infamy or disgrace.; An expression or behaviour revealing one's hidden feelings.e.g.“Bradly scowled - the stigmata of alarm. What ultimate threat to his peace and privacy did this dropping in by young Podson imply?” — 1938, Norman Lindsay, Age of Consent, 1st Australian edition, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, published 1962, →OCLC, page 65:
- A scar or birthmark.
- The sticky part of a flower that receives pollen during pollination.
- A visible sign or characteristic of a disease.
- Synonym of pterostigma.
- A ligature of the Greek letters sigma and tau: Ϛ / ϛ.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- stigme 72% match — A dot used as a punctuation mark in historical Greek texts, especially at the top of the line, equivalent to a period or full stop. vs stigma →
- staurogram 68% match — A ligature, ⳨, of the Greek letters τ and ρ or Coptic letters ⲧ and ⲣ, later used as a symbol of the cross in early Christianity and remaining in use as a ligature in abbreviations of the words σταυρός and σταυρόω. vs stigma →
- stigmate 68% match — Synonym of stigma. vs stigma →
- stigmatose 64% match — Having a stigma; stigmatic. vs stigma →
- stigmat 61% match — A stigmatic lens or combination of lenses. vs stigma →
- sigmate 59% match — Shaped like the Greek letter sigma. vs stigma →
- sigmatism 59% match — A lisp. vs stigma →
- stigmatypy 58% match — A technique of printing with points, consisting of their arrangement in pictures. vs stigma →