emeritus

American  

[ih-mer-i-tuhs] / ɪˈmɛr ɪ təs /

adjective

1. retired or honorably discharged from active professional duty, but retaining the title of one's office or position.

   dean emeritus of the graduate school;

   editor in chief emeritus.

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noun

• emeriti
  plural

1. an emeritus professor, minister, etc.

emeritus British  

/ ɪˈmɛrɪtəs /

adjective

1. (usually postpositive) retired or honourably discharged from full-time work, but retaining one's title on an honorary basis

   a professor emeritus

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Usage

What does emeritus mean? Emeritus describes someone who has retired or been honorably discharged from a specific position but allowed to retain their title because of their high achievements. For example, a distinguished professor at a university may be awarded with the title professor emeritus upon their retirement. An emeritus is a person who has retired and has been awarded the title, as Today’s guest speaker is an emeritus from Harvard. Emeritus comes from Latin, so the word has a feminine form—emerita. However, the feminine form is rarely used. Emeritus is commonly considered gender neutral. The plural form of emeritus is emeriti, so a group of retired professors may be referred to as professors emeriti. You may also notice that when used as an adjective, the word is placed after the noun. The title emeritus was first used in academia to describe professors who were retired from their position (professor emeritus). The word is now used for other positions, such as dean emeritus or president emeritus. Emeritus is also used in other professions. For example, it can be used to describe retired religious leaders like rabbis (rabbi emeritus) or bishops (bishop emeritus), as well as certain government positions. Example: Upon her retirement, Lucinda was awarded the title of professor emeritus for her outstanding work in the field.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• emeriti
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of emeritus

First recorded in 1785–95; from Latin ēmeritus “fully earned,” past participle of ēmerēre “to fully earn,” from ē- e- ¹ + merēre “to earn”; cf. merit

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Compare meaning

How does emeritus compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• emerita vs. emeritus

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Explanation

An emeritus is a retired college professor or minister. When a professor stops teaching, she might be given the title of emeritus, which basically means she can still be remembered as a successful professor. The word emeritus, pronounced "eh-MER-ih-tus," is Latin, originally meaning "veteran soldier." The honorary adjective is most often used with professor, but it applies to other professions whose retirees continue to hold their title, like ministers. The word emeritus usually goes after the job title, but it can also come before, like emeritus editor.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

emeritus emeriti

“We’re at a cultural tipping point,” says William Doherty, a therapist and professor emeritus of family social science at the University of Minnesota.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026

In September, both astronauts are transitioning to emeritus status at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 2026

Murdoch stepped down as News Corp chair in 2023 transitioning to the role of chairman emeritus.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

“He defined the word ‘passion,’” said art historian Paul Hayes Tucker, professor emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Boston and Wolfe’s Williams College roommate.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

“Emma,” he said, “let’s go have something to eat at the house–my figure’ll do for an emeritus bridegroom–won’t it?”

From In the Heart of a Fool by William Allen White

Since 2004, the Ballards, both professors emeriti of pediatrics at UC San Francisco, have been piecing together ways to restore the creek, one small project at a time.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2025

Her mother is associate professor emeriti of French and Italian, also at the University of Arizona.

From New York Times ● Apr. 22, 2018

The five additional honorary Cardinals — Archbishops and bishops emeriti, who are over the age of 80 and therefore unable to vote in papal elections — are:

From Time ● Jan. 4, 2015

A relatively low-profile member of the Kennedy family, she served on the advisory board of the National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and was also a director emeriti of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library.

From Reuters ● Sep. 17, 2011

Baseball's commissioner loves to kid Milwaukee reporters about their perceived infatuation with the , but he long has been on the Packers' board, currently listed as a director emeriti on the team's masthead.

From Chicago Tribune ● Feb. 5, 2011

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Related Words

• discharged
• retiring

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