valedictory

American  

[val-i-dik-tuh-ree] / ˌvæl ɪˈdɪk tə ri /

adjective

1. bidding goodbye; saying farewell.

   a valedictory speech.

2. of or relating to an occasion of leave-taking.

   a valedictory ceremony.

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noun

• valedictories
  plural

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

2. any farewell address or oration.

valedictory British  

/ ˌvælɪˈdɪktərɪ, -trɪ /

noun

1. a farewell address or speech

2. a farewell speech delivered at a graduation ceremony, usually by the most outstanding graduate

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• valedictories
  plural

Etymology

Origin of valedictory

1645–55; < Latin valedict ( us ) ( see valediction) + -ory ¹

Explanation

A valedictory is a speech expressing farewell, as at a school graduation. The adjective valedictory relates to saying good-bye, but almost always refers to a speech or address. Many people think of a valedictory address as the graduation speech given by the kid who got the highest grades in school — and often it is — but valedictory words don't have to have anything to do with schools or grades or throwing your cap in the air. They're all about taking one's leave or saying farewell, whether it's the president leaving office or a worker reaching retirement or a friend at a going-away party.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

valedictory valedictories

The length and detail in his valedictory statement suggests this was in the pipeline for a day or two but there's no word on why he has taken this decision.

From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026

Conservative lawyers and pundits marked the occasion by publishing laudatory articles that had, to me, a distinctly valedictory feel to them.

From Slate ● Feb. 13, 2026

But as he noted ruefully in a valedictory speech last month, Americans may recognize the full benefits of those laws only once he’s out of office.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 6, 2025

McConnell spoke from the Senate floor in somber, valedictory tones, but he left open the possibility that he might seek another term, declaring at one point: “I’m not going anywhere anytime soon.”

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 29, 2024

There was shuffling and rustling around me, then Henry Reed was giving his valedictory address, “To Be or Not to Be.”

From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou

She stood all of 5 feet 4 inches, not counting the white stiletto heels, on the podium in the House television studio Thursday for one of her many valedictories.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 2, 2022

The mood felt very different than it did during both the stunted opening night and the respectful valedictories of Tuesday.

From Time Magazine Archive

One by one, they took to the floor with prepared valedictories.

From Time Magazine Archive

Three symphonic farewells, however, have just taken place, and interesting valedictories they were.

From Time Magazine Archive

The valedictories in the Senate were a singular compound of defiance and pity, of justification and recrimination.

From Twenty Years of Congress, Vol. 1 From Lincoln to Garfield, with a Review of the Events Which Led to the Political Revolution of 1860 by James Gillespie Blaine