honorific

adjective

hon·​or·​if·​ic ˌä-nə-ˈri-fik How to pronounce honorific (audio)
1
: conferring or conveying honor
honorific titles
2
: belonging to or constituting a class of grammatical forms used in speaking to or about a social superior
honorific noun
honorifically adverb

Examples of honorific in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Written by Al Shipley | One of the most apt and unquestioned honorific nicknames in popular music is the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul. Al Shipley, SPIN, 26 Nov. 2024 But the fish rots from the head, and rather than showing concern about these abuses or issuing directives ordering them to stop, the Kremlin bestowed an honorific title on one of the units accused of committing atrocities in Bucha. Dara Massicot, Foreign Affairs, 18 May 2022 The royal family later stripped King Charles’ younger brother of his honorific titles and royal patronages. Ava Benny-Morrison, Fortune, 4 Jan. 2024 The real czars may be long gone, but for decades, the White House has been doing a good job of keeping the role—or at least the honorific—alive, appointing a director to oversee a particular task or issue, and bestowing the title along with it. Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 15 Sep. 2023 See all Example Sentences for honorific 

Word History

First Known Use

1650, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of honorific was in 1650

Dictionary Entries Near honorific

Cite this Entry

“Honorific.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/honorific. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

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