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honorific
adjective
hon·or·if·ic
ˌä-nə-ˈri-fik
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
Examples of honorific in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Written by Al Shipley | One of the most apt and unquestioned honorific nicknames in popular music is the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul.
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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.
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Dara Massicot, Foreign Affairs, 18 May 2024
The royal family later stripped King Charles’ younger brother of his honorific titles and royal patronages.
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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.
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Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 15 Sep. 2023
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Word History
First Known Use
1650, in the meaning defined at sense 1
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Cite this Entry
“Honorific.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/honorific. Accessed 19 Feb. 2025.
More from Merriam-Webster on honorific
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about honorific
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