valedictory

[ val-i-dik-tuh-ree ]

/ ˌvæl ɪˈdɪk tə ri /

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

vale, vale of glamorgan, valediction, valediction forbidding mourning, a, valedictorian, valedictory, valence, valence band, valence electron, valence electrons, valence-conduction band

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

/ (ˌvælɪˈdɪktərɪ, -trɪ) /

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

British Dictionary definitions for valedictory

valedictory

noun plural -ries

Word Origin and History for valedictory

valedictory