valedictorian
noun
val·e·dic·to·ri·an
ˌva-lə-ˌdik-ˈtȯr-ē-ən 
: the student usually having the highest rank in a graduating class who delivers the valedictory address at the commencement exercises
Examples of valedictorian in a Sentence
She was the valedictorian of her class in 1985.
Recent Examples on the Web
Those banners celebrate the student-athletes who were school valedictorians — four of them from the boys basketball team.
—
Glenn Graham, Baltimore Sun, 22 Jan. 2024
Their sister, who had graduated as valedictorian the year prior and is now attending the California Institute of Technology, tuned in to the celebration via FaceTime to congratulate them.
—Emi Tuyetnhi Tran, NBC News, 19 Jan. 2024
Her next husband, John MacBain, was a rising businessman who had been a class valedictorian at McGill.
—Jacob Bernstein, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2024
Ransom graduated as the valedictorian of his class in 1908.
—Carol Roark, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Feb. 2024
Well, one of my characters was the least intelligent girl in the graduating class, and somebody had made a mistake in calculating the valedictorian.
—Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 18 Feb. 2024
One factor that made a double major easier for Sobol: the valedictorian of his class at St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute in Buffalo, New York, took 14Advanced Placement classes in high school.
—Emma Whitford, Forbes, 11 Feb. 2024
Devon was named valedictorian and Dylan was named salutatorian.
—USA TODAY, 25 Jan. 2024
Every year, Herricks High School on Long Island honors the two top-performing seniors with the academic distinction of valedictorian and salutatorian — revealed as a surprise over the school intercom.
—Emi Tuyetnhi Tran, NBC News, 19 Jan. 2024
Glenn Graham, Baltimore Sun, 22 Jan. 2024
Their sister, who had graduated as valedictorian the year prior and is now attending the California Institute of Technology, tuned in to the celebration via FaceTime to congratulate them.
—Emi Tuyetnhi Tran, NBC News, 19 Jan. 2024
Her next husband, John MacBain, was a rising businessman who had been a class valedictorian at McGill.
—Jacob Bernstein, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2024
Ransom graduated as the valedictorian of his class in 1908.
—Carol Roark, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Feb. 2024
Well, one of my characters was the least intelligent girl in the graduating class, and somebody had made a mistake in calculating the valedictorian.
—Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 18 Feb. 2024
One factor that made a double major easier for Sobol: the valedictorian of his class at St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute in Buffalo, New York, took 14Advanced Placement classes in high school.
—Emma Whitford, Forbes, 11 Feb. 2024
Devon was named valedictorian and Dylan was named salutatorian.
—USA TODAY, 25 Jan. 2024
Every year, Herricks High School on Long Island honors the two top-performing seniors with the academic distinction of valedictorian and salutatorian — revealed as a surprise over the school intercom.
—Emi Tuyetnhi Tran, NBC News, 19 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'valedictorian.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Valedictorian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/valedictorian. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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