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honorable

- 4 dictionary results

hon⋅or⋅a⋅ble

  [on-er-uh-buhl]
Use honorable in a Sentence
–adjective
1. in accordance with or characterized by principles of honor; upright: They were all honorable men.
2. of high rank, dignity, or distinction; noble, illustrious, or distinguished.
3. worthy of honor and high respect; estimable; creditable.
4. bringing honor or credit; consistent with honor.
5. (initial capital letter)
a. (used as a title of respect for certain ranking government officials.)
b. British. (used as a title of courtesy for children of peers ranking below a marquis.) Abbreviation: Hon.
Origin:
1300–50; ME hono(u)rable < AF (MF honorable) < L honōrābilis. See honor, -able

Related forms:
hon⋅or⋅a⋅ble⋅ness, noun
hon⋅or⋅a⋅bly, adverb

Synonyms:
1. honest, noble, just.

Antonyms:
1. ignoble.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To honorable
hon·or·a·ble   (ŏn'ər-ə-bəl)   
adj.  
  1. Deserving or winning honor and respect: led an honorable life.
  2. Bringing distinction or recognition: honorable service to one's nation.
  3. Possessing and characterized by honor: an honorable person.
  4. Consistent with honor or good name: followed the only honorable course of action.
  5. Distinguished; illustrious: this honorable gathering of scholars.
  6. Attended by marks of recognition and honor: received an honorable burial.
  7. Honorable Abbr. Hon.
    1. Used as a title of respect for certain high government officials: The Honorable Jane Doe, Associate Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts.
    2. Used as a courtesy title for the children of barons and viscounts and the younger sons of earls.
    3. Used in the House of Commons as a title of respect when speaking of another member.
hon'or·a·ble·ness n., hon'or·a·bly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Honorable

Hon"or*a*ble\, a. [F. honorable, L. honorabilis.]

1. Worthy of honor; fit to be esteemed or regarded; estimable; illustrious.

Thy name and honorable family. --Shak.

2. High-minded; actuated by principles of honor, or a scrupulous regard to probity, rectitude, or reputation.

3. Proceeding from an upright and laudable cause, or directed to a just and proper end; not base; irreproachable; fair; as, an honorable motive.

Is this proceeding just and honorable? --Shak.

4. Conferring honor, or produced by noble deeds.

Honorable wounds from battle brought. --Dryden.

5. Worthy of respect; regarded with esteem; to be commended; consistent with honor or rectitude.

Marriage is honorable in all. --Heb. xiii. 4.

6. Performed or accompanied with marks of honor, or with testimonies of esteem; an honorable burial.

7. Of reputable association or use; respectable.

Let her descend: my chambers are honorable. --Shak.

8. An epithet of respect or distinction; as, the honorable Senate; the honorable gentleman.

Note: Honorable is a title of quality, conferred by English usage upon the younger children of earls and all the children of viscounts and barons. The maids of honor, lords of session, and the supreme judges of England and Ireland are entitled to the prefix. In American usage, it is a title of courtesy merely, bestowed upon those who hold, or have held, any of the higher public offices, esp. governors, judges, members of Congress or of the Senate, mayors.

Right honorable. See under Right.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : honorable
Spanish: honorable, loable, meritorio, digno de alabanza,
German: rühmlich,
Japanese: 賞讃に値する
More Translations »

Main Entry: hon·or·able
Function: adjective
: entitled to honor —used as a title for various government officials
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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