salutatorian
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of salutatorian
An Americanism dating back to 1840–50; salutatory + -an
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Explanation
A salutatorian is a graduate who finished with the second highest rank in his or her class. Only the valedictorian did better. Being the salutatorian of your graduating class is a great honor. Traditionally, the salutatorian gives the opening remarks at the graduation ceremony. So, just as a salutation is a greeting, a salutatorian is responsible for offering a formal greeting at the event. Having been a salutatorian looks great on a resume, as long as you spell it correctly.
Vocabulary lists containing salutatorian
A Graduation Lexicon
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Our America
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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.
Then there’s Justin Walton, the salutatorian and one of Plumlee’s closest friends.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 14, 2023
“That James did not end up class salutatorian may seem unfair. It was surely disappointing. But it was not unconstitutional,” Duncan wrote.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 19, 2022
“These are students who are graduating salutatorian or valedictorian and, unfortunately, just had a very difficult time continuing with their higher education pursuits because of the cost,” Henderson said.
From Washington Post • Jan. 27, 2022
One incident that caused a stir involved Nacharlesia Floyd, the high school’s salutatorian in 2017, who planned to give a speech that described the struggles of African-American students in the school.
From New York Times • Oct. 25, 2020
She was in the spelling bee, she was in the Academic Olympics, she was the salutatorian of her class.
From "Our America: Life and Death on the South Side of Chicago" by LeAlan Jones
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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.