valedictorian
Americannoun
adjective
-
saying goodbye
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of or relating to a farewell or an occasion of farewell
noun
Etymology
Origin of valedictorian
An Americanism dating back to 1750–60; valedictory + -an
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Explanation
The valedictorian is usually the student with the highest grades in a class. If the valedictorian of your class is someone you like and admire, you'll enjoy listening to her graduation speech. At a high school or university graduation, the valedictorian traditionally gives a farewell speech, called a valedictory. This person is almost always the student in the class with the very best academic record. The origin of the word valedictorian is the Latin valedicere, which means "bid farewell." Valedicere in turn comes from valere, "be well," and dicere, "to say."
Vocabulary lists containing valedictorian
You Can Say That Again: Dic and Dict
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A Graduation Lexicon
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"The Scholarship Jacket" by Marta Salinas
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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.
After graduating as the valedictorian of her high school, she won a scholarship to attend what is now Virginia State University.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026
USC also did away with a long-held practice, announcing in February that there would be no valedictorian — and no accompanying speech.
From Los Angeles Times • May 16, 2025
“A culture that celebrates the prom queen over the math olympiad champ, or the jock over the valedictorian, will not produce the best engineers,” the billionaire added.
From Salon • Dec. 27, 2024
As a teenager, Mr Mangione attended a private all-boys school in Maryland, where he was class valedictorian, a title usually awarded to students with the best grades.
From BBC • Dec. 9, 2024
She was annoying and obsessed with being valedictorian one day.
From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina
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.
