valedictory

1 of 2

adjective

val·​e·​dic·​to·​ry ˌva-lə-ˈdik-t(ə-)rē 

: of or relating to a valediction : expressing or containing a farewell

valedictory

2 of 2

noun

plural valedictories

1

: an address or statement of farewell or leave-taking

2

: valediction sense 1

Did you know?

Valedictory addresses delivered by earnest young valedictorians at high school and college graduations are as much a sign of spring in the United States as baseball games and cookouts. Though we don’t know where the first valedictory address was given, we do know that the word was an institution at some colleges in the U.S. by the mid-1700s. English speakers and writers have also used valedictory in non-academic settings since the mid-1600s. Since a valedictory speech is given at the end of an academic career, it is perfectly in keeping with the meaning of its Latin ancestor, valedicere, which means "to say farewell."

Synonyms

Adjective

• farewell
• parting

Examples of valedictory in a Sentence

Adjective

a valedictory address given by the college president upon his retirement

Noun

He received a very warm valedictory for his long career.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

But the olive branch is a reminder of the valedictory nature of most formal portraits. —Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 13 Dec. 2023

Brief, bounded, securely valedictory, as a form the wedding speech is perhaps not well suited to the twin relationship, which is both totalizing and ambivalent. —Jean Garnett, The New Yorker, 10 July 2023

Noun

His appearance — the first live in studio visit to the show by a sitting president — felt a bit of a valedictory, as the president sat with the co-hosts against a backdrop of photos from his 50-year career, and clips of his past appearances on the show were shown before commercial breaks. —Ted Johnson, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2024

There are many more valedictories in Biden’s future, including on Monday night at the Democratic National Convention, in Chicago. —Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 15 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

borrowed from New Latin valedictōrius, from Latin valedic-, alternate stem of vale dīcere, valedīcere "to say goodbye" + -tōrius, adjective suffix (originally derivatives of agent nouns ending in -tōr-, -tor) — more at valediction

Noun

noun derivative of valedictory entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

1651, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1779, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

valedictory

adjective

vale·​dic·​to·​ry

ˌval-ə-ˈdik-t(ə-)rē

: of or relating to a leaving : expressing a farewell