honorary

adjective

hon·​or·​ary ˈä-nə-ˌrer-ē How to pronounce honorary (audio)
1
a
: having or conferring distinction
an honorary engineering society
b
: commemorative
an honorary plaque
2
: dependent on honor or a keen sense of ethical conduct for fulfillment
an honorary obligation
3
a
: conferred or elected in recognition of achievement or service without the usual prerequisites or obligations
an honorary degree
an honorary member
b
: unpaid, voluntary
an honorary chairman
honorarily adverb
honorary noun

Examples of honorary in a Sentence

He was awarded an honorary degree. He's an honorary member of the club. He is the honorary president of the commission.
Recent Examples on the Web In January, Bassett received an honorary Oscar at the Governor Awards, her first after being a two-time nominee. Tatiana Tenreyro, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2024 In January, the Strange Days actress received an honorary Academy Award at the 2024 Governor’s Awards. Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 8 Mar. 2024 The family of four attended the Governors Awards in January, posing on the red carpet together before Bassett was awarded an honorary Oscar celebrating her body of work. Andrea Mandell, Peoplemag, 3 Mar. 2024 The honorary celebration is often filled with family reunions, flowers, traditional dishes and singing. Kira Caspers, The Arizona Republic, 28 Feb. 2024 Oppenheimer director Christopher Nolan received an honorary Cesar for lifetime achievement at this year’s ceremony in Paris after being introduced during the gala ceremony by Cotillard. Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Feb. 2024 Puget Sound city These included tens of thousands in clerk fees, printing fees, docket fees, court of appeals fees, interpreter fees, honorary court costs, a court tax and an exit tax on the settlement, the documents show — and more than $100,000 more directly to the government entities. Steve Fisher, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024 Meanwhile, honorary Chief Taylor Swift made two $50,000 donations to a GoFundMe for the family of Lopez-Galvan. Ashley R. Williams, CNN, 17 Feb. 2024 And like decades ago, Shih – still Acer’s executive director and honorary chairman at age 79 — aims to think outside of box. Russell Flannery, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'honorary.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin honorarius, from honor

First Known Use

1606, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of honorary was in 1606

Dictionary Entries Near honorary

Cite this Entry

“Honorary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/honorary. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

honorary

adjective
hon·​or·​ary ˈän-ə-ˌrer-ē How to pronounce honorary (audio)
1
: given or done as a sign of honor
an honorary degree
2
: voluntary entry 1 sense 1, unpaid
honorary president
honorarily adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on honorary

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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