Definition of VALEDICTORY

Did You Know?

Adjective

Valedictory addresses delivered by earnest young valedictorians at high school and college graduations are as much a sign of spring in the United States as baseball games and cookouts. Though we don't know where the first valedictory address was given, we do know that the word was an institution at some colleges in the U.S. by the mid-1700s. English speakers and writers have also used "valedictory" in non-academic settings since the mid-1600s. Since a valedictory speech is given at the end of an academic career, it is perfectly in keeping with the meaning of its Latin ancestor, valedicere, which means "to say farewell."

Examples of valedictory in a Sentence

Adjective

a valedictory address given by the college president upon his retirement

Noun

He received a very warm valedictory for his long career.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Matthew Brun of Libertyville gave the valedictory address. — Kathy Routliffe, chicagotribune.com, "Loyola Academy graduates salute past, greet future at Gentile Center," 29 May 2018 But nobody has matched the valedictory of Michael Anton, who ended a roiling 14-month stint at the National Security Council on Tuesday by cooking dinner for the president of France. — Mark Landler, New York Times, "A National Security Aide’s Departing Wish: Cooking for the State Dinner," 24 Apr. 2018 The mere threat of a valedictory photo-op deterred previous American presidents from meeting their North Korean counterparts. — Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, "On trade and North Korea, Trump tries to play disrupter," 4 June 2018 When reading his valedictory salute in 2 Timothy 4:6-8, this missionary was basking in the smile of his Savior even though the Roman government considered him a criminal worthy of death. — Loren A. Yadon, idahostatesman, "Leaving the ‘stage of life’ to the applause of heaven," 12 July 2018 Surprisingly, that is, until one hears this one-of-a-kind valedictory performance (it can be streamed on the BBC Radio 3 website until July 20). — Mark Swed, latimes.com, "As a conductor, composer and man, Oliver Knussen was larger than life," 10 July 2018 Today is my valedictory as the mother of the bride. — Karen Stabiner, New York Times, "A Wedding Day Saga Ends With Words From the Heart," 27 June 2018 Lulabel Seitz was a few minutes into her valedictory speech at Petaluma High School in Petaluma, California, on June 2 when her microphone went silent. — Tim Stelloh /, NBC News, "A school silenced its valedictorian when she brought up sexual assault. Is that legal?," 12 June 2018 But while the establishment has uttered a shaky (likely short-lived) sigh of relief, patriot-for-hire Steve Bannon’s valedictory yawp is reverberating across Europe. — Isobel Thompson, The Hive, "Steve Bannon, Patriot for Hire, Says “Vaffanculo” in Italy," 1 June 2018

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

History and Etymology for valedictory

Adjective

borrowed from New Latin valedictōrius, from Latin valedic-, alternate stem of vale dīcere, valedīcere "to say goodbye" + -tōrius, adjective suffix (originally derivatives of agent nouns ending in -tōr-, -tor) — more at valediction

Noun