Stigma

/ˈstɪɡmə/ · noun

Meaning

An indication of infamy or disgrace..

Definitions by Sense

1. An indication of infamy or disgrace.
2. A scar or birthmark.
3. (botany) The sticky part of a flower that receives pollen during pollination.
4. (medicine) A visible sign or characteristic of a disease.
5. (zoology) Synonym of pterostigma.
6. (typography) A ligature of the Greek letters sigma and tau: Ϛ / ϛ.

Example Sentences

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.

Black crowberry. Empetrum nigrum. Crowberry Family. Fruit. — The black drupe is berrylike, globular, and incloses six to nine seedlike nutlets with a seed in each. The calyx is at the base and the stigma is at the apex. The drupes are solitary in the leaf axils. They are juicy, acid, edible, and serve as food for the Arctic birds.

Now you see just how the stamen gets its lusty dust onto the stigma / And why this frenzied chlorophyllous orgy starts in spring is no enigma!

Synonyms for stigma

Antonyms for stigma

Related Words

Word Forms

• stigmata
• stigmas
• stigmat
• stigmate
• stigme

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

Practice and Learn More

Frequently Asked Questions