dignify

[ dig-nuh-fahy ]
See synonyms for: dignifydignified on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),dig·ni·fied, dig·ni·fy·ing.
  1. to confer honor or dignity upon; honor; ennoble.

  2. to give a high-sounding title or name to; confer unmerited distinction upon: to dignify pedantry by calling it scholarship.

Origin of dignify

1
1375–1425; late Middle English dignifien<Old French dignefier<Medieval Latin dignificāre, equivalent to Latin dign(us) worthy + -ificāre-ify

Other words from dignify

  • o·ver·dig·ni·fy, verb (used with object), o·ver·dig·ni·fied, o·ver·dig·ni·fy·ing.
  • qua·si-dig·ni·fy·ing, adjective

Words Nearby dignify

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use dignify in a sentence

  • She seemed to dignify with her presence whatever happened to be going on, and made it worth while.

    Unveiling a Parallel | Alice Ilgenfritz Jones and Ella Marchant
  • Such a mode of proceeding costs us little, but tends much to dignify and exalt us.

  • Incidentally teachers themselves, by thinking more nobly of their tasks, can do much to dignify their calling.

    Spirit and Music | H. Ernest Hunt
  • The bearing of the new Abbot served of itself to dignify a ceremonial which was deprived of all other attributes of grandeur.

    The Abbot | Sir Walter Scott

British Dictionary definitions for dignify

dignify

/ (ˈdɪɡnɪˌfaɪ) /


verb-fies, -fying or -fied (tr)
  1. to invest with honour or dignity; ennoble

  2. to add distinction to: the meeting was dignified by the minister

  1. 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

Origin of dignify

1
C15: from Old French dignifier, from Late Latin dignificāre, from Latin dignus worthy + facere to make

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012