dignity

noun

dig·​ni·​ty ˈdig-nə-tē 

plural dignities

1

: formal reserve or seriousness of manner, appearance, or language

2

: the quality or state of being worthy of honor or respect

3

a

: high rank, office, or position

b

: a legal title of nobility or honor

4

archaic : dignitary

Synonyms of dignity

• nobility
• quality
• rank
• state
• highness

Examples of dignity in a Sentence

Jenny Daggers links feminist critiques and interreligious dialogue, arguing that our failure to treat people of other traditions with dignity matches in deed and rhetoric our inability to see that women are full and equal members of the community. —Francis X. Clooney, Commonweal, 11 Sept. 2009

When King spoke about the racist past, he gloried in black people beating the odds to win equal rights by arming "ourselves with dignity and self-respect." —Juan Williams, Wall Street Journal, 4 Apr. 2008

The period just after the Revolutionary War (1780-1820) was a time to project hard-won dignity, not show off. Federal interiors featured muted wall colors … and delicately carved or inlaid decoration. —Kelly Beamon, This Old House, March 2008

Roger was beaming. His creased fat face literally shone with pleasure, which, for the sake of dignity, he struggled to contain. —Alice Adams, The Story and Its Writer, 1987

Every speaker tries to create a love affair with his or her audience. But when the phenomenon called Maya Angelou takes the lectern at Pensacola (Florida) Junior College, she does not so much speak to the audience as "embrace" it. She sings, reads verse, thunders oratorically, even dances. Standing a majestic six feet tall and gifted with a resonant voice and … dignity, she is a poet, preacher, performer extraordinaire. —Cheryl McCall, People, 8 Mar. 1982

She showed dignity in defeat.

The ceremony was conducted with great dignity.

Theirs is a country that cherishes freedom and human dignity.

Recent Examples on the Web

The blunderbuss of violations of the basic decorum and dignity of democracy have become such a daily matter that the increasingly familiar response is to sigh and surrender. — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2026

Citing Catholic doctrine revised under his predecessor, Pope Francis, Leo emphasized that the death penalty violates human dignity. — Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026

If it can’t be stopped, then parents should shield their children from the spectacle, and Americans who value the dignity of human life must refrain from watching. — Colin Pascal, Baltimore Sun, 12 Oct. 2026

Like Francis before him, Leo has made visiting prisons a key part of his papal travel in a bid to give a message of hope to inmates and underscore their inherent dignity, that God loves them and that there is always a chance for redemption. — Nicole Winfield, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English dignete, from Anglo-French digneté, from Latin dignitat-, dignitas, from dignus

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing dignity

• beneath one's dignity

Rhymes for dignity

• indignity
• malignity

Kids Definition

dignity

noun

dig·​ni·​ty ˈdig-nət-ē 

plural dignities

1

: the quality or state of being worthy, honored, or respected

2

: high rank, office, or position

3

: a look or way of behaving that suggests seriousness and self-control