ignominy

This term describes a profound sense of public humiliation that transcends mere embarrassment. It carries a heavy weight of social condemnation, often implying a permanent stain on one's reputation or a fall from a position of high status to one of contempt. Because it refers to an abstract state of disgrace, the word is treated as an uncountable noun. It does not typically take a plural form and is used to describe the general condition of being dishonored rather than individual instances of shame.