laureate
Americannoun
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a person who has been honored for achieving distinction in a particular field or with a particular award.
a Nobel laureate.
adjective
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deserving or having special recognition for achievement, as for poetry (often used immediately after the noun that is modified).
poet laureate; conjurer laureate.
-
having special distinction or recognition in a field.
the laureate men of science.
-
crowned or decked with laurel as a mark of honor.
-
consisting of or resembling laurel, as a wreath or crown.
adjective
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literary crowned with laurel leaves as a sign of honour
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archaic made of laurel
noun
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short for poet laureate
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a person honoured with an award for art or science
a Nobel laureate
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rare a person honoured with the laurel crown or wreath
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of laureate
1350–1400; Middle English; < Latin laureātus crowned with laurel, equivalent to laure ( us ) of laurel ( laur ( us ) bay tree + -eus -eous ) + -ātus -ate 1
Explanation
Winning a major award that marks your achievement in science, art, or literature makes you a laureate. If you develop a cure for cancer one day, you'll probably be a Nobel laureate! The word laureate has a Latin root meaning "crowned with laurels," a reference to the dark, glossy-leaved plants that were historically draped on celebrated poets and heroes in ancient Greece. In 17th-century England, royal households had their very own poets, known as poet laureates — this honorific has since been extended, so that schools, states, and even entire countries have poet laureates, celebrated and honored for their work.
Vocabulary lists containing laureate
Mandela's Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Address
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This Week In Words: Current Events Vocab for January 16–22, 2021
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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.
Little has been heard from the 80-year-old Nobel laureate since she was arrested on the day the armed forces ousted her elected government more than five years ago.
From BBC • May 1, 2026
He stepped down after the 2019-20 season and was named the organization’s music director laureate but the COVID-19 pandemic snuffed out the ambitious celebrations that were to mark his triumphs .
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2026
Finally, the hosts break down the WNBA’s landmark collective bargaining agreement and why Nobel laureate Claudia Goldin was the MVP of the negotiation.
From Slate • Apr. 4, 2026
This year's conference also features a plenary event with Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado, who will speak Tuesday night on "the Future of Venezuela."
From Barron's • Mar. 23, 2026
“Theorists tend to be more liberal in their politics, liberal ranging on into radical,” the Nobel laureate Edwin McMillan, Lawrence’s laboratory associate and brother-in-law, observed years later.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
