magna cum laude

American  

[mahg-nuh koom lau-day, -duh, -dee, mag-nuh kuhm law-dee] / ˈmɑg nə kʊm ˈlaʊ deɪ, -də, -di, ˈmæg nə kʌm ˈlɔ di /

adverb

1. with great praise: used in diplomas to grant the next-to-highest of three special honors for grades above the average.

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magna cum laude British  

/ ˈmæɡnə kʊm ˈlaʊdeɪ /

1. with great praise: the second of three designations for above-average achievement in examinations Compare cum laude summa cum laude

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Etymology

Origin of magna cum laude

First recorded in 1895–1900, magna cum laude is from Latin magnā cum laude

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

magna cum laude

She enrolled in classes at Emory at 16 and then transferred to Barnard where she majored in creative writing, graduating magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 31, 2026

Fugate is a self-described “Trumplican” who interned for state lawmakers in Austin before graduating magna cum laude a year ago with a degree in politics and law from the University of Texas at San Antonio.

From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2025

Marlowe would go on to graduate from West Georgia magna cum laude in premed biology, and he was the first West Georgia student-athlete to earn Academic All-America recognition, in any sport, in five years.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 25, 2023

Rashad was a theater acting major at Howard, graduating magna cum laude with a bachelor’s in fine arts in 1970.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2023

There are, first of all, identity claims, which are deliberate expressions about how we would like to be seen by the world: a framed copy of a magna cum laude degree from Harvard, for example.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell