honorific

American  

[on-uh-rif-ik] / ˌɒn əˈrɪf ɪk /

adjective

1. Also honorifical. doing or conferring honor.

2. conveying honor, as a title or a grammatical form used in speaking to or about a superior, elder, etc.

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noun

1. (in certain languages, as Chinese and Japanese) a class of forms used to show respect, especially in direct address.

2. a title or term of respect.

honorific British  

/ ˌɒnəˈrɪfɪk /

adjective

1. showing or conferring honour or respect

2. 1. (of a pronoun, verb inflection, etc) indicating the speaker's respect for the addressee or his acknowledgment of inferior status

   2. ( as noun )

      a Japanese honorific

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Other Word Forms

• honorifically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of honorific

First recorded in 1640–50, honorific is from the Latin word honōrificus honor-making. See honor, -i-, -fic

Explanation

If you greet your bus driver every day by saying, "Good Morning, Ms. Smith!" then you're familiar with honorifics, the respectful titles we add to people's names. In Ms. Smith's case, the honorific is Ms. The most common honorifics in English are the ones we put in front of names, like Mr., Dr., and Reverend and even new coinages like the gender-neutral Mx., which was first attested in the late 1970s. There are military honorifics such as Captain and General, and religious honorifics, including Rabbi, Father, and Imam. Some honorifics come at the end of a person's name: "Mateo Garcia, PhD," and "Angela Smith, DDS," for example. The word honorific is also an adjective meaning "showing respect," as in an honorific award or an honorific title.

Example Sentences

The problem is that not everyone can be mother, and it takes a certain style of cinematic performance to earn such an honorific distinction.

From Salon • May 10, 2026

In the northern city of Zanjan, thousands responded to chants memorializing the late Khamenei with the refrain: “We’re your followers, Seyyed Mojtaba,” using an honorific denoting a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 9, 2026

An old version of her online CV, seen by the BBC, refers to her with the "Dr" honorific and lists a PhD from the University of Liverpool in 1978 as among her qualifications.

From BBC • Dec. 21, 2025

Chen has served as an adviser to Prime Minister Hun Manet and his father, former leader Hun Sen, and holds the government-bestowed honorific "Neak Oknha", meaning "prominent tycoon".

From Barron's • Oct. 16, 2025

“What Eduardo was working on,” John says softly, his voice lower, honorific.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee