honor

¹hon·or

noun \ˈä-nər\

Definition of HONOR

1

a : good name or public esteem : reputation b : a showing of usually merited respect : recognition <pay honor to our founder>

2

: privilege <had the honor of joining the captain for dinner>

3

: a person of superior standing —now used especially as a title for a holder of high office <if Your Honor please>

4

: one whose worth brings respect or fame : credit <an honor to the profession>

5

: the center point of the upper half of an armorial escutcheon

6

: an evidence or symbol of distinction: as a : an exalted title or rank b (1) : badge, decoration (2) : a ceremonial rite or observance <buried with full military honors> c : an award in a contest or field of competition d archaic : a gesture of deference : bow e plural (1) : an academic distinction conferred on a superior student (2) : a course of study for superior students supplementing or replacing a regular course

7

: chastity, purity <fought fiercely for her honor and her life — Barton Black>

8

a : a keen sense of ethical conduct : integrity <a man of honor> b : one's word given as a guarantee of performance <on my honor, I will be there>

9

plural : social courtesies or civilities extended by a host <asked her to do the honors>

10

a (1) : an ace, king, queen, jack, or ten especially of the trump suit in bridge (2) : the scoring value of honors held in bridge —usually used in plural b : the privilege of playing first from the tee in golf

Examples of HONOR

1. These people deserve to be treated with honor.
2. The team brought honor to the school.
3. The building was named in honor of the city's founder.
4. He was prepared to fight to defend his family's honor.
5. She has a keen sense of honor.
6. He would not do it as a matter of honor.
7. He's a man of honor.
8. It was an honor to be invited.
9. Many of the Persians, despite belonging to the Barbarian Other, come off with honor and dignity in his pages, even during the final narrative of Xerxes' invasion. —Peter Green, New York Review of Books, 15 May 2008
10. Whoever footed the bill, the episode gave Marsh a taste of the grand life she yearned for. Presiding at balls in her honor and making entrances at lavish picnics were distinctions she could never have dreamed of back home. —Edmund S. Morgan et al., New York Review of Books, 27 Sept. 2007
11. “As I was saying,” he said, smiling at the sea of students before him, all of whom were still gazing transfixed at Mad-Eye Moody, “we are to have the honor of hosting a very exciting event over the coming months, an event that has not been held for over a century.” —J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, 2000

Origin of HONOR

Middle English, from Anglo-French onur, honur, from Latin honos, honor

First Known Use: 13th century

Related to HONOR

Synonyms: honesty, integrity, probity, rectitude, righteousness, uprightness

Antonyms: baseness, dishonor, lowness

Related Words: blamelessness, character, conscientiousness, decency, fairness, high-mindedness, incorruptibility, irreproachability, irreproachableness, justice, morality, nobility, reputability, respectability, right-mindedness, scrupulousness, virtue, virtuousness

Near Antonyms: corruptibility, corruption, corruptness, debasement, debauchery, decadence, degeneracy, degradation, depravity, disgrace, disgracefulness, disreputableness, dissipatedness, dissipation, dissoluteness, looseness, perversion, pervertedness, profligacy, shamelessness, venality; blameworthiness, criminality, crookedness, dishonesty, immorality, unrighteousness, unscrupulousness; knavery, rascality, roguishness; meanness, reprehensibleness, rottenness, sinfulness, vileness, villainy, wickedness, wretchedness

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Synonym Discussion of HONOR

honor, homage, reverence, deference mean respect and esteem shown to another. honor may apply to the recognition of one's right to great respect or to any expression of such recognition <the nomination is an honor>. homage adds the implication of accompanying praise <paying homage to Shakespeare>. reverence implies profound respect mingled with love, devotion, or awe <great reverence for my father>. deference implies a yielding or submitting to another's judgment or preference out of respect or reverence <showed no deference to their elders>.

Other Forms of Address Terms

appellation, beatitude, brethren, emeritus, esquire, sire, sous

Rhymes with HONOR

Bonner, fawner, goner, spawner