From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishstigmastig‧ma /ˈstɪɡmə/ ●○○ noun 1 [countable usually singular, uncountable]ASHAMED a strong feeling in society that being in a particular situation or having a particular illness is something to be ashamed ofthe stigma of alcoholism/mental illness etc The stigma of alcoholism makes it difficult to treat. There is a social stigma attached to single parenthood. In the US, smoking carries a stigma.► see thesaurus at shame2 [countable] technicalHBP the top of the centre part of a flower that receives the pollen which allows it to form new seeds
Examples from the Corpus
stigma• The negative side of reputation is stigma.• They have all suffered grievously: shame, stigma and extreme social exclusion.• In many countries there is still a strong social stigma attached to homosexuality.• But if we attack the stigma against unsafe behavior, we might just do the same for that.• Even when someone has been found innocent of a crime, the stigma often remains.• At first I found the stigma of being unemployed very difficult to cope with.• Farmers still have the problem of overcoming the stigma which all too often young people attach to working on the land.• Pollen must be transferred by hand from one flower to the stigma of another flower on a separate plant.• The stigma may not result from associating her language with ignorance, but the unkindness is just as real.• I didn't want this stigma on you too.stigma attached to• In Britain, more so than in other countries, science fiction has always had a stigma attached to it.• There's a stigma attached to the stay-at-home mum, as if she hasn't a brain between the ears!• There's no stigma attached to being half-cut on the streets.• There was a social stigma attached to diesel car ownership, too.• The social stigma attached to epilepsy 3.• As I've always been blonde I forget about the stigma attached to the colour.• It also risked acquiring the stigma attached to the means-tested Poor Law.• It's all the stigma attached to it and all the things that people have to do to obtain it.Origin stigma (1500-1600) Latin “mark, mark burned on the skin”, from Greek, from stizein “to tattoo” 