laureate

American  

[lawr-ee-it, lor-] / ˈlɔr i ɪt, ˈlɒr- /

noun

1. a person who has been honored for achieving distinction in a particular field or with a particular award.

   a Nobel laureate.

2. poet laureate.

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adjective

1. deserving or having special recognition for achievement, as for poetry (often used immediately after the noun that is modified).

   poet laureate; conjurer laureate.

2. having special distinction or recognition in a field.

   the laureate men of science.

3. crowned or decked with laurel as a mark of honor.

4. consisting of or resembling laurel, as a wreath or crown.

laureate British  

/ ˌlɔːrɪˈeɪʃən, ˈlɔːrɪɪt /

adjective

1. literary  crowned with laurel leaves as a sign of honour

2. archaic  made of laurel

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noun

1. short for poet laureate

2. a person honoured with an award for art or science

   a Nobel laureate

3. rare  a person honoured with the laurel crown or wreath

Other Word Forms

• laureateship noun
• laureation noun

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

Example Sentences

“You can see the computer age everywhere but in the productivity statistics,” Robert Solow, a Nobel laureate in economics, said in 1987.

From Barron's

Myanmar's military ousted the Nobel laureate's elected government and seized power in a 2021 coup, sparking a civil war.

From Barron's

The interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, formed a police reform commission, but progress has been slow.

From Barron's

The 2024 demonstrations forced her to flee and paved the way for Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus to lead an interim government.

From BBC

It marks another step in her return to public life and also reflects her style, with the event beginning with a poem read by Alex Wharton, former children's laureate for Wales.

From BBC

Related Words

• adorn
• bedeck
• decorate