Stigma Meaning
/ˈstɪɡmə/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounAn indication of infamy or disgrace.
nounAn indication of infamy or disgrace., A permanent identity mark branded, cut or tattooed onto the skin, typically given to slaves, criminals and traitors.
Sentence Examples
There is a terrible stigma against these people.
Sami spoke out against the stigma against mental health issues.
CEFR Practice Quiz
There is still a strong social ____ against people who are unemployed.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
There is still a social ____ surrounding mental illness that prevents many people from seeking help.
Word Origin & History
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.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"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:
"Yet, because of the stigma around nursing home placement, it is hard to find advocates from among the natural advocacy groups the families. You don't see families organized around long-term care as you do around specific diseases."
— 1982, Journal of Gerontological Nursing:
"Hence, the stigma attached to mental disorders in general forms the basis of the stigma towards women with mental health problems. […]"
— 2010 March 18, Dora Kohen, Oxford Textbook of Women and Mental Health, Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 5:
"Coming into contact with the person affected by mental illness can help reduce the stigma that the public has towards the illness."
— 2018 March 8, Darko Pozder, Without Stigma: About the Stigma of the Mental Illness, Xlibris Corporation, →ISBN:
"... the stigma in the United States about the lower class accessing “welfare,” […]"
— 2024 December 15, Amy Speier, Mobility in North American Surrogacy: A Fertile Global Industry, Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, →ISBN, page 67:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
There is still a strong social ____ against people who are unemployed.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
There is still a social ____ surrounding mental illness that prevents many people from seeking help.