Basic Details
Word: Disgraceful
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: So bad or shameful that people strongly disapprove of it.
Synonyms: shameful, scandalous, outrageous, appalling
Antonyms: honourable, admirable, praiseworthy
How to Spell Disgraceful
Syllables: dis - grace - ful
Tricky part: Keep the e of grace, and remember that the suffix ful has only one l.
Watch out for: disgracefull, disgracful, dissgraceful
Memory tip: Grace keeps its e because ful starts with a consonant, just as in hopeful and careful. And ful, unlike full, never doubles its l.
Usage Examples
Example 1: Leaving litter all over the beach is disgraceful.
Example 2: The referee called the tackle disgraceful and showed a red card.
Example 3: It is disgraceful that the library has had no new books for five years.
Fun Fact
Grace comes from Latin gratia, favour or thanks, which also gave gratitude and the Spanish and Italian words for thank you, gracias and grazie.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
disgracefull
a) l
b) c
c) f
d) e
Show answer
a) l. The suffix ful is never spelt with a double l at the end of a word.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word disgraceful as used in the sentence:
The fans' disgraceful behaviour after the match was shown on every news channel.
a) careless
b) honourable
c) rude
d) shameful
Show answer
b) honourable. Honourable behaviour earns respect, the very thing the fans lost that night.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one of these words is spelt correctly. Choose its meaning:
1. vigilent 2. abundent 3. disgraceful 4. persistant
a) carrying on firmly in spite of difficulty
b) watchful and alert to danger
c) existing in large amounts
d) so bad that it brings shame
Show answer
d) so bad that it brings shame. The ant and ent endings are swapped in the other three words; disgraceful has no slip.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Most people would call it disgraceful to ____.
a) return a lost wallet
b) cheat in a board exam
c) help an old man cross
d) share lunch with a friend
Show answer
b) cheat in a board exam
2. The noun disgrace means ____.
a) great skill
b) a happy event
c) loss of respect
d) a long voyage
Show answer
c) loss of respect
