dignify
Americanverb (used with object)
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to confer honor or dignity upon; honor; ennoble.
-
to give a high-sounding title or name to; confer unmerited distinction upon.
to dignify pedantry by calling it scholarship.
verb
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to invest with honour or dignity; ennoble
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to add distinction to
the meeting was dignified by the minister
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to add a semblance of dignity to, esp by the use of a pretentious name or title
she dignifies every plant with its Latin name
Other Word Forms
- overdignify verb (used with object)
- quasi-dignifying adjective
Etymology
Origin of dignify
1375–1425; late Middle English dignifien < Old French dignefier < Medieval Latin dignificāre, equivalent to Latin dign ( us ) worthy + -ificāre -ify
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Allowing Summers to commence a dignified retirement while continuing to hold honorifics risks signaling that there are ultimately few consequences at the very top in higher education.
From Salon
The Pittsburg Post scolded, “It is not very manly or very dignified to slander a lady when she is not present.”
From Literature
In the recorded annals of puffin military campaigns, never did a puffin march into battle with such dignified grit.
From Literature
“I wish for people to live in a dignified and equitable world,” she firmly says.
From Los Angeles Times
Spain’s Minister for Inclusion, Social Security and Migration Elma Saiz said the measure aims to “recognize, dignify and provide guarantees, opportunities and rights to people who are already in our country.”
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
