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

But the people in Dickenson and Buchanan counties are good, honorable folks.

— joshua green, Bloomberg.com, "Social Security Cuts Target Trump Voters", 1 June 2017
Demetrius Capers (third grade) received an honorable mention in the engineering and materials science category.

— chris folks, baltimoresun.com, "Students end the year with winning projects [West Laurel]", 1 June 2017
The Honorable Jack R. Grate Jr. and the Honorable Jeffrey L. Bushur.

— caitlin wallace, photos by alec vanderboom,, kansascity, "KC wedding is ‘a hell of a party’ in which the Bustamantes ‘happened to get married’", 30 May 2017
Named to the second team was sophomore outfielder/pitcher Sydney Jones, while freshman catcher/second baseman Arlene Osnaya and freshman infielder Kristal Bendfelt garnered honorable mention.

— staff reports, Glendale News-Press, "Sports Briefs: Former St. Francis High standout dominates on mound", 30 May 2017
Indiana Law Enforcement Academy graduates and/or honorable military service are preferred, but not required.

— chicago tribune, chicagotribune.com, "Neighbors calendar", 29 May 2017
Reliever Austin Bibens-Dirkx was forced to replace Griffin in the second inning and did an honorable job of saving the bullpen with four innings of relief.

— stefan stevenson, star-telegram, "Rangers reaction says goodbye to Yaz, a triple crown winning cat", 26 May 2017
Two are funded by a CalVet program to assist vets who would have a hard time finding homes because of less-than-honorable discharges.

— allen j. schaben, latimes.com, "Home at last: Vets’ circuitous paths through homelessness meet in new permanent home", 25 May 2017
He is also fixated on using his resources in honorable, inventive ways.

— joe coscarelli, New York Times, "You May Not Know Jack Antonoff. But You Probably Love His Music.", 24 May 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

NEW!

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.