dignified
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- dignifiedly adverb
- dignifiedness noun
- quasi-dignified adjective
- undignified adjective
- undignifiedly adverb
Etymology
Origin of dignified
Explanation
Dignified means self-respecting and worthy. If you want to have a dignified memorial service, skip the karaoke machine and instead softly play the favorite music of the person you're remembering. Something that has dignity is honorable and worthy, so something that is dignified acts in an honorable, worthy way, showing great self-respect and respect for others. If someone handles a terrible public embarrassment gracefully and without breaking down, we might compliment her dignified manner. You might be too dignified to engage in screaming at the wrestling match, or too dignified to beg for a job even in hard times.
Vocabulary lists containing dignified
An "August" Assortment: Words Worthy of Honor
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"The Great Gatsby," Chapter 1 Vocabulary
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"The Diary of Anne Frank," Vocabulary from the drama
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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.
"Both he and his family are grateful he was given the option to go out on his own terms. He was calm, dignified as always and somehow still making us laugh."
From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026
The lone umpire in Philadelphia that day was Billy McLean, a former boxer who Mr. Thorn has written “had no trouble standing up to players in a dignified fashion.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026
In affidavits submitted to the court, supporters noted that Gil’s was the very last place that was safe and decent and dignified for the city’s worst off.
From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026
There’s the lab-coated museum curator who treats statues in underground storage as dignified friends worth revisiting.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2026
He walked, dignified, from group to group, smiling and filling the drinking cups, and you’d have sworn from his look that never until tonight had the old man been absolutely happy.
From "Grendel" by John Gardner
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.
