Synonyms

magna cum laude

American

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

adverb

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

magna cum laude British

/ ˈmæɡnə kʊm ˈlaʊdeɪ /

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of magna cum laude

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

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.

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

He received his BA summa cum laude from Indiana University in 1995 and his JD magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1998.

From Salon ● Aug. 7, 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

Howard University is an institution of higher education, concerned with the LSAT, magna cum laude, and Phi Beta Kappa.

From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023