cum laude

American  

[koom lou-dey, -duh, -dee, kuhm law-dee] / kʊm ˈlaʊ deɪ, -də, -di, kʌm ˈlɔ di /

adverb

1. with honor: used in diplomas to grant the lowest of three special honors for grades above the average.

---

cum laude British  

/ kʊm ˈlaʊdeɪ, kʌm ˈlɔːdɪ /

adverb

1. with praise: the lowest of three designations for above-average achievement in examinations Compare magna cum laude summa cum laude

---

Etymology

Origin of cum laude

1890–95, < Latin: with praise

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cum laude

He graduated summa cum laude from New York University in 1948, and earned a master’s in economics two years later and a Ph.D in economics in 1977.

From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026

After graduation, though, she struggled to find her footing, eventually graduating summa cum laude from the City University of New York with a theater degree.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 3, 2026

She graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz science communication master’s program and earned a bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College, magna cum laude.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 3, 2026

Anais Jevtitch, 24, graduated cum laude from Ohio University in December 2023 and has lost count of the number of applications she’s submitted for positions in marketing, social media and film and television production.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2025

There are, first of all, identity claims, which are deliberate expressions about how we would like to be seen by the world: a framed copy of a magna cum laude degree from Harvard, for example.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell