dignified
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of dignified
Explanation
Dignified means self-respecting and worthy. If you want to have a dignified memorial service, skip the karaoke machine and instead softly play the favorite music of the person you're remembering. Something that has dignity is honorable and worthy, so something that is dignified acts in an honorable, worthy way, showing great self-respect and respect for others. If someone handles a terrible public embarrassment gracefully and without breaking down, we might compliment her dignified manner. You might be too dignified to engage in screaming at the wrestling match, or too dignified to beg for a job even in hard times.
Vocabulary lists containing dignified
An "August" Assortment: Words Worthy of Honor
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"The Great Gatsby," Chapter 1 Vocabulary
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"The Diary of Anne Frank," Vocabulary from the drama
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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.
Trump’s remarks were made as he traveled to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to attend a dignified transfer of U.S. service members killed in the war.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
"We are going to keep searching because we would like to recover our relatives' bodies and give them a dignified burial," she said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
"You have to make sure your patient stays happy until death. You have to make sure the family understands the patient is dying, and that the way they are going to die is dignified."
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
Others I first prompted, gently, that “some men feel it’s more dignified not to ask for anything on Father’s Day,” and invited them to set that feeling aside.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026
When Lander arrived—the most dignified and eloquent colored man any of them had seen—the discussions adopted a more local character.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
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.
