Atimazo (ἀτιμάζω) means "to dishonor," "to treat shamefully," or "to insult with contempt." It is the opposite of timao (to honor). It appears in John 8:49 (Jesus says the Jews are dishonoring Him), Romans 1:24 (God gives up those who dishonor their bodies), Romans 2:23 (breaking the law dishonors God), and James 2:6 (the rich dishonor the poor).
The New Testament uses of atimazo span a remarkable range: from Christ being dishonored by His own people, to humanity dishonoring its own bodies through sexual immorality, to the church dishonoring the poor. All three are connected: dishonor flows from a distorted image of worth. When we lose sight of the image of God in Christ, we lose sight of it in ourselves and in others. Romans 1:24–25 makes the progression explicit: people exchange the truth of God for a lie, and the result is the dishonoring of their own bodies. Honor and worship are inseparable — what we revere shapes how we treat everything else. To honor God is to begin honoring everything He has made.