honorable

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 history

b : entitled to honor or respect —used as a title for the children of certain British noblemen and for various government officials the Honorable Judge Smiththe Honorable Senator from California

3 : performed or accompanied with marks of honor or respect

4a : attesting to creditable conduct honorable wounds

b : 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

Other Words from honorable Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about honorable

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Other Words from honorable

honorability \ ˌän-rə-ˈbi-lə-tē

, ˌä-nə- \ noun

honorableness \ ˈän-rə-bəl-nəs

, ˈä-nə- \ noun

honorably \ ˈän-rə-blē

, ˈä-nə- \ adverb

Choose the Right Synonym for 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

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 on the Web

Burial at the national cemetery is open to veterans who received an honorable discharge, along with their spouses and children. — Emma Keith, Detroit Free Press, "Veterans can learn how to get free burial plots at bus tour to national cemetery," 5 June 2019 Printed on blue paper, the discharge was notice to potential employers who refused to hire soldiers without an honorable discharge. — Melanie Burney, https://www.inquirer.com, "World War II veteran calls it 'a miracle’: Honorable discharge from Army to correct an ‘injustice,’ nearly 75 years later," 4 June 2019 Your motives may be honorable, but not everyone will appreciate your enthusiastic assistance or advice, so watch for cues as to how to proceed. — Tribune Content Agency, oregonlive.com, "Horoscope for June 4, 2019: Pisces, count your blessings; Cancer, mixed messages may confuse," 4 June 2019 Given the showrunner’s Big Schadenfreude Energy, killing the most honorable knight in the Seven Kingdoms certainly seems plausible. — Sophie Kemp, Vogue, "Who Will Die Next on Game of Thrones, According to the Internet," 26 Apr. 2019 His bio was changed to reflect his new ambitions: After an honorable discharge, Joe committed himself to more peaceful action, shifting his attitude radically from warrior to peacenik to mirror the new political climate. — Maude Campbell, Popular Mechanics, "Yo, Joe: How a 12-Inch Soldier Doll Became a Toy Legend," 9 Apr. 2019 So there's lot of parallels but things are different, so the music will hopefully be honorable to the Star Wars canon from John. — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, "'Solo' Composer John Powell Talks Channeling Han & Working With John Williams," 24 May 2018 Our 41st president was the most honorable, decent and capable of gentlemen—as close to the ideal of the office as anyone in our lifetimes. — Dan Quayle, WSJ, "George Bush: ‘Be Prepared and Be Loyal’," 1 Dec. 2018 Juniors Jocelyn Urias and Ashley Brown were honorable-mention selections. — Seattle Times Staff, The Seattle Times, "Washington State men down Cal State Northridge 103-94," 27 Nov. 2018

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.