dignity

[dig-ni-tee]

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noun, plural dig·ni·ties.

bearing, conduct, or speech indicative of self-respect or appreciation of the formality or gravity of an occasion or situation.

nobility or elevation of character; worthiness: dignity of sentiments.

elevated rank, office, station, etc.

relative standing; rank.

a sign or token of respect: an impertinent question unworthy of the dignity of an answer.

Archaic.

person of high rank or title.
such persons collectively.

Origin of dignity

1175–1225; Middle English dignite < Anglo-French, Old French < Latin dignitās worthiness, equivalent to dign(us) worthy + -itās -ity

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for dignity

status, self-respect, respectability, decorum, greatness, poise, grace, virtue, decency, stature, prestige, quality, honor, grandeur, morality, etiquette, majesty, merit, culture, renown

Examples from the Web for dignity

Contemporary Examples of dignity

Yet she spoke of his dignity in such an insane situation and when she touched on his pain she expressed her own on his behalf.
The Life and Hard Times Of The Family A Cuban Defector Left Behind
Brin-Jonathan Butler
December 19, 2014
Pakistan was dancing for the U.S. dollar and joined up with it without any dignity.
Pakistani School Killers Want to Strike the U.S.
Sami Yousafzai, Christopher Dickey
December 17, 2014
“You can cut my hair, you can bald me, you can strip me naked and take away my dignity,” she said.
A Quorum For Change: The Fight For Global LGBT Equality
Justin Jones
December 11, 2014
But what about terminally ill patients who live in states like New York, without a Death with Dignity law?
The Nurse Coaching People Through Death by Starvation
Nick Tabor
November 17, 2014
To me, what I was doing was helping them to die with dignity and love.
Gay Activist David Mixner: I Mercy Killed 8 People
Tim Teeman
October 29, 2014

Historical Examples of dignity

Pericles has borne all his misfortunes with the dignity of an immortal.
Philothea
Lydia Maria Child
Youth is prone to endow its opinions with all the dignity of certain knowledge.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
Were I to be queen of the universe, that dignity should not absolve me from my duty to you and to my father.
Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson
The woman was not at all of a bad sort, only her dignity was hurt.
Weighed and Wanting
George MacDonald
The whole rough appearance of the man was elevated into dignity.
Weighed and Wanting
George MacDonald

British Dictionary definitions for dignity

dignity

noun plural -ties

a formal, stately, or grave bearinghe entered with dignity

the state or quality of being worthy of honourthe dignity of manual labour

relative importance; rankhe is next in dignity to the mayor

sense of self-importance (often in the phrases stand (or be) on one's dignity, beneath one's dignity)

high rank, esp in government or the church

a person of high rank or such persons collectively

Word Origin for dignity

C13: from Old French dignite, from Latin dignitās merit, from dignus worthy

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

Word Origin and History for dignity

early 13c., from Old French dignite "dignity, privilege, honor," from Latin dignitatem (nominative dignitas) "worthiness," from dignus "worth (n.), worthy, proper, fitting" from PIE *dek-no-, from root *dek- "to take, accept" (see decent).