valedictory

[val-i-dik-tuh-ree]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR valedictory ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

bidding goodbye; saying farewell: a valedictory speech.

of or relating to an occasion of leave-taking: a valedictory ceremony.

noun, plural val·e·dic·to·ries.

an address or oration delivered at the commencement exercises of a college or school on behalf of the graduating class.

any farewell address or oration.

Nearby words

Origin of valedictory

1645–55; < Latin valedict(us) (see valediction) + -ory¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for valedictory

Lou's valedictory has been acclaimed, without sarcasm, as baseball's Gettysburg Address.
The Stacks: The Day Lou Gehrig Delivered Baseball’s Gettysburg Address|Ray Robinson|July 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The congresswoman ended her valedictory to a man she described as “our icon” by saying “Michael Jackson, I salute you.”
The Constitution Is 400 Years Old and More Pearls From Sheila Jackson Lee|Ben Jacobs|March 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This concession speech was both a tribute to his opponent and a valedictory to his lifetime of service to the country.
A Speech to Make the World Stop|Mark Katz|November 5, 2008|DAILY BEAST
Her valedictory, like her salutatory, was a diffuse apology for their intrusion upon the sacredness of the installation-eve.
Jessamine|Marion Harland

The last man who was going to be married got his valedictory dinner at the close of session.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 62, No. 382, October 1847|Various
The financial and executive report of the two years' work is very concisely given in the valedictory address of June 6, 1867.
Sketches of Successful New Hampshire Men|Various
Then he uttered a valedictory which I have always been glad to recall as his last message, for I never saw him again.
The Story of a Pioneer|Anna Howard Shaw
The students marched, singing songs of adieu, to present a valedictory address to the Rector.
Lola Montez|Edmund B. d'Auvergne

British Dictionary definitions for valedictory

valedictory

noun plural -ries

a farewell address or speech

US and Canadian a farewell speech delivered at a graduation ceremony, usually by the most outstanding graduate

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

Word Origin and History for valedictory

valedictory

adj.

1650s, from Latin valedictum (past participle of valedicere; see valediction) + -ory. Valedictory address is recorded from 1779.

valedictory

adjective

noun, plural val·e·dic·to·ries.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of valedictory

Examples from the Web for valedictory

valedictory

noun plural -ries

valedictory