honorarium
Americannoun
-
a payment in recognition of acts or professional services for which custom or propriety forbids a price to be set.
The mayor was given a modest honorarium for delivering a speech to our club.
-
a fee for services rendered by a professional person.
noun
Usage
What does honorarium mean? An honorarium is a payment for special, professional services that don’t technically require compensation or for which payment isn’t customarily given. An honorarium is usually given as an appreciative gesture for services outside of one’s normal job—it’s not a salary. More generally, it can refer to a one-time fee paid to a professional for their services. The correct plural of honorarium can be either honorariums or honoraria. Technically speaking, honoraria is the Latin-based plural form of honorarium. (Many other Latin-derived words can be pluralized in the same way, but many are rarely used, such as stadia as the plural for stadium.)Example: I was paid a modest honorarium for the summer poetry workshop that I led.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of honorarium
1650–60; < Latin honōrārium fee paid on taking office, noun use of neuter of honōrārius honorary
Explanation
An honorarium is a small fee paid for a service that is usually done for free. It's more of a thank you than a real, substantial paycheck. Honorarium comes from the Latin word honorary for “gift.” An honorarium is like a gift of a small amount of money that's paid once for a service. If a doctor or lawyer gives a speech for an organization, they might be given an honorarium. The honorarium money is small and not intended to reflect what the person's time is truly worth. Rather, the honorarium is a token of thanks and a gesture of respect.
Vocabulary lists containing honorarium
The Marrow Thieves
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Breakfast of Champions
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A Mighty Long Way
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
When asked to speak or present, I always ask if they are familiar with my travel requirements, honorarium, hotel requirements and driver.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 11, 2026
Thor Stein received grants from the NIH and Department of Veterans Affairs, and an honorarium from Brown University.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 1, 2026
Dr. Waxman was not associated with the study but was paid a speaking honorarium by the company.
From New York Times ● Jan. 30, 2024
Some of the sheriffs brought their wives along; they also were awarded a $1,500 honorarium.
From Slate ● Sep. 21, 2022
They published the picture and as an honorarium sent Lilienthal $200.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
The payments averaged about $4,100 a year, mostly as honoraria for talks and reimbursements for travel.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2025
Frank reports proton-related grant funding by Hitachi and honoraria fees from Ion Beam Applications S.A.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 4, 2024
Bik’s work brings donations from Patreon subscribers of about $2,300 per month and occasional honoraria from speaking engagements.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 28, 2024
Often, they were retired professionals who supplemented a department's offerings by teaching a single course in their area of expertise, while their salaries were more honoraria than true payments for work performed.
From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2021
Maycomb’s regular pastors ate free for a week also, and it was hinted in disrespectful quarters that the local clergy deliberately led their churches into holding separate services, thereby gaining two more weeks’ honoraria.
From "Go Set a Watchman: A Novel" by Harper Lee
Garvey’s failure to properly disclose his honorariums is, absent an immediate amendment, a big deal.
From Slate ● May 29, 2024
Numerous organizations wrote to offer awards and honorariums.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 1, 2021
Since 2014, 11 pharmaceutical companies have paid him a total of at least $588,000 in consulting and speaking fees and honorariums, according to federal data.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 6, 2019
The laureates will receive their prizes and honorariums of $250,000 for each category at a ceremony in New York City on 21 September.
From Science Magazine ● Sep. 11, 2018
He wrote and telephoned dozens of acceptances to invitations to speak, predominantly at colleges and universities—both to expound his philosophies and to earn the $150-$300 honorariums above traveling expenses.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
