honorary

adjective hon·or·ary \ ˈä-nə-ˌrer-ē \

|Updated on: 27 Jul 2018

Examples: honorary in a Sentence

Definition of honorary

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

play \ˌä-nə-ˈrer-ə-lē\ adverb

—

honorary

noun

See honorary defined for English-language learners

See honorary defined for kids

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 of honorary from the Web

Other, noncompetitive winners – those who won at least one of the awards in a special or honorary nature – include Barbra Streisand and Liza Minnelli.

— jodi guglielmi, PEOPLE.com, "Emmy Nominations: John Legend Could Earn an EGOT with Jesus Christ Superstar Nod," 12 July 2018
This is just the appetizer’: Harry Giles says he’s driven to improve after ejection Sacramento Make-A-Wish teen ‘touched and grateful’ to be honorary Kings dancer Bill Russell flipped off Vince Carter at a Kings game.

— noel harris, sacbee, "Why a national magazine says the young Kings could be the NBA’s ‘next’ big thing," 11 July 2018
Les Seskin of Boca Raton recently received an honorary fellowship from Technion-Israel Institute of Technology during a special awards ceremony in recognition of his tireless support to the institution.

— sergio carmona, Jewish Journal, "Boca Raton resident receives honorary fellowship from Technion," 11 July 2018
Salah is even being tipped to quit the national team after landing himself at the centre of a controversy after being made an honorary citizen of the Chechnya Republic by leader Ramzan Kadyrov.

— SI.com, "Egypt Boss Hector Cuper Left 'Sad & Disappointed' as Pharaohs Bow Out of World Cup," 26 June 2018
The Order of the Thistle is the prince’s second honorary knighthood.

— simon perry, PEOPLE.com, "Prince William Confidently Pulls Off Ostrich Feather Hat for Annual Knights Service in Scotland," 6 July 2018
The foundation also has an honorary board including Indian industrialist Ratan Tata and Boris Collardi, a partner at Swiss financial-services firm Pictet Group, according to the foundation’s website.

— simon clark, WSJ, "Interpol Foundation Suspends Embattled Founder of Private-Equity Firm," 5 July 2018
During the June 22 dinner, Kadyrov granted Salah honorary citizenship.

— Washington Post, "Salah calls for change after Egypt’s poor World Cup," 2 July 2018
She was named honorary vice president of her father’s Naval Academy Class of 1940.

— jacques kelly, baltimoresun.com, "Wendi Winters, prolific feature writer for The Capital who shared stories about notable residents," 2 July 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of honorary

Latin honorarius, from honor

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1606

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

honorary Synonyms

Synonyms

commemorating, commemorative, memorial, memorializing;

Related Words

dedicatory, testimonial;

canonizing, enshrining, exalting, glorifying;

HONORARY Defined for English Language Learners

honorary

adjective

Definition of honorary for English Language Learners

: given as a sign of honor or achievement
: regarded as one of a group although not officially elected or included
: holding a position for which no payment is given : not paid

HONORARY Defined for Kids

honorary

adjective hon·or·ary \ ˈä-nə-ˌrer-ē \

Definition of honorary for Students

: given or done as an honor

They made him an honorary member of the club.

Learn More about honorary

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for honorary Spanish Central: Translation of honorary Nglish: Translation of honorary for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of honorary for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up honorary? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

honorary

Definition of honorary

honorarily

honorary

Examples of honorary in a Sentence

Recent Examples of honorary from the Web

Origin and Etymology of honorary

honorary Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Phrases Related to HONORARY

Related Phrases

HONORARY Defined for English Language Learners

honorary

Definition of honorary for English Language Learners

HONORARY Defined for Kids

honorary

Definition of honorary for Students

Learn More about honorary

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

9 Words for Places People Call "Home"

Trending: Brennan: Trump's Claims are 'Hogwash'

'Banana Republic': A History

The Eponym Quiz

Ghost Word