cum laude

American  

[koom lau-day, -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.

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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

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Etymology

Origin of cum laude

1890–95, < Latin: with praise

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cum laude

THE SON of two physicians, Weis graduated summa cum laude from Rice University and enrolled at Princeton for his Ph.D. in 2018.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

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 enrolled in classes at Emory at 16 and then transferred to Barnard where she majored in creative writing, graduating magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 31, 2026

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

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