honorific

adjective

hon·​or·​if·​ic ˌä-nə-ˈri-fik 

1

: conferring or conveying honor

honorific titles

2

: belonging to or constituting a class of grammatical forms used in speaking to or about a social superior

honorific noun

honorifically

ˌä-nə-ˈri-fi-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Examples of honorific in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Bharathiraja earned the honorific Iyakkunar Imayam – pinnacle of directors. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 10 June 2026

Though executive producer credits are sometimes merely honorific or contractual obligations, Cape Fear showrunner Nick Antosca tells Entertainment Weekly that both Scorsese and Spielberg gave substantial creative input into the series. — Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 5 June 2026

India also has several languages that use gender-neutral pronouns — Tamil, for instance, has an honorific neutral pronoun and verb conjugation. — Supriya Ganesh, Vulture, 15 Apr. 2026

At a tiny piazza near the water, two magnificent Corinthian columns stand atop a staircase as honorific harbor monuments. — Erica Firpo, Travel + Leisure, 8 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1650, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for honorific

• calorific
• conspecific
• hieroglyphic
• nonspecific
• scientific
• soporific
• subspecific
• transpacific
• unspecific
• horrific
• pacific
• prolific