honorable

play

adjective hon·or·able \ˈä-nər-(ə-)bəl, ˈän-rə-\

Definition of honorable

1 : deserving of respect or high regard : deserving of honor an honorable profession
2a : of great renown : illustrious the college's long and honorable historyb : entitled to honor or respect —used as a title for the children of certain British noblemen and for various government officials the Honorable Judge Smith the Honorable Senator from California
3 : performed or accompanied with marks of honor or respect
4a : attesting to creditable conduct honorable woundsb : consistent with a reputation that is not tarnished or sullied an honorable withdrawal received an honorable discharge from the army
5 : characterized by integrity : guided by a keen sense of duty and ethical conduct Brutus is an honorable man — William Shakespeare assured her that his intentions were honorable

honorability

play \ˌän-rə-ˈbi-lə-tē, ˌä-nə-\ noun

honorableness

play \ˈän-rə-bəl-nəs, ˈä-nə-\ noun

honorably

play \ˈän-rə-blē, ˈä-nə-\ adverb

See honorable defined for English-language learners

See honorable defined for kids

Examples of honorable in a Sentence

The college has a long and honorable history.
It is not honorable of you to behave like that.
They are trying to find an honorable way out of this dispute.
He assured her that his intentions were honorable.
He received an honorable discharge from the army.

Recent Examples of honorable from the Web

Austin’s Tanner Craig was also named honorable mention.

— kyle williams, The Courier-Journal, "Southern Indiana standouts named to IHSBCA all-state team," 8 July 2017
Here are some more honorable mentions of things millennials apparently killed in 2016: •

— christine clarridge, The Seattle Times, "10 things millennials have been blamed for," 5 July 2017
Military who qualify for the free admission ticket include active military, retired military, National Guard, veterans with honorable or medical discharge and Reserve Officers’ Training Corps with government issued ID.

— kirby adams, The Courier-Journal, "Free admission to Kings Island Saturday through Tuesday," 30 June 2017
The idea is to be an honorable, nurturing sensei for your menagerie of weird little creatures – not just to teach them to fight like cybercocks but also to help them evolve onward to a more ennobled state.

— mark jacobson, Daily Intelligencer, "The Generation Gap in My Living Room," 30 June 2017
Szokol continued playing competitively in college, first at Northwestern and later at Virginia, where she was named an honorable mention All-American as a senior in 2016 by the Women's Golf Coaches Association.

— dylan sinn, chicagotribune.com, "New Trier grad Elizabeth Szokol trying to earn LPGA Tour card," 29 June 2017
Other honorable mentions: Spencer's random horse, Ashley Marin's monologue about eating pizza with a knife and fork, and Melissa's two-second cameo.

— christopher rosa, Glamour, "11 Things About the 'Pretty Little Liars' Finale That Were Low-Key the Worst," 28 June 2017
The VA estimates that more than 500,000 former service members hold other-than-honorable discharges.

— jeanette steele, sandiegouniontribune.com, "'Bad-paper' veterans now get 90 days of mental help," 28 June 2017
Patrick Casey, her 28-year-old male cousin, held the honorable position.

— kelly o'sullivan, Country Living, "A Grown Man Served As the 'Flower Girl' At This Wedding and It Was Hilarious," 27 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'honorable.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of honorable

see ¹honor

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First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

Synonym Discussion of honorable

upright, honest, just, conscientious, scrupulous, honorable mean having or showing a strict regard for what is morally right. upright implies a strict adherence to moral principles. a stern and upright minister honest stresses adherence to such virtues as truthfulness, candor, or fairness. known for being honest in business dealings just stresses conscious choice and regular practice of what is right or equitable. workers given just compensation conscientious and scrupulous imply an active moral sense governing all one's actions and painstaking efforts to follow one's conscience. conscientious in the completion of her assignments scrupulous in carrying out the terms of the will honorable suggests a firm holding to codes of right behavior and the guidance of a high sense of honor and duty. a difficult but honorable decision

Other Forms of Address Terms

appellation, beatitude, brethren, emeritus, esquire, sire, sous

HONORABLE Defined for English Language Learners

honorable

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adjective

Definition of honorable for English Language Learners

: deserving honor and respect
: having or showing honesty and good moral character
: fair and proper : not deserving blame or criticism

HONORABLE Defined for Kids

honorable

play

adjective hon·or·able \ˈä-nə-rə-bəl, ˈän-rə-bəl\

Definition of honorable for Students

1 : bringing about or deserving honor It's an honorable achievement.
2 : observing ideas of honor or reputation They're seeking an honorable peace.
3 : having high moral standards of behavior : ethical, upright She is too honorable to stoop to cheating.