Meanings
nounhonorific (plural honorifics)
plural honorifics · alternative honorifick · alternative honourific
- A person's title, such as "Mrs" or "Doctor".
- A term of respect; respectful language.
adjectivehonorific (comparative more honorific, superlative most honorific)
comparative more honorific · superlative most honorific · alternative honorifick · alternative honourific
- Showing or conferring honour and respect.
According to Pliny, the custom of setting up honorific statues on columns was a comparably ancient one.
1996, T. P. Wiseman, “The Minucii and Their Monument”, in Jerzy Linderski, editor, Imperium Sine Fine: T. Robert S. Broughton and the Roman Republic, Franz Steiner Verlag, →ISBN, page 59 - Based on or valuing honor
In the honorific cultural process, individuals (especially men) are extremely sensitive to real or perceived insults, and […]
2010, Orlando Patterson, “The mechanisms of cultural reproduction: explaining the puzzle of persistence”, in John R. Hall et al., editors, Handbook of Cultural Sociology, Taylor & Francis, →ISBN, page 143
Synonyms & antonyms
Opposite
adjectiveconferring or showing honor or respect
Similar
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Englishhonor
- Proto-Indo-European*dʰeh₁-
- Proto-Italic*θakos
- Englishhonorific
Translations
Bulgarian обръщение, обръщение
- обръщение (obrăštenie)title or term of respect
- обръщение (obrăštenie)linguistics: word form encoding respect
- почетен (početen)showing or conferring honour and respect
- почтителен (počtitelen)showing or conferring honour and respect
- почтителен (počtitelen)based on or valuing honor
Chinese Mandarin 敬辭 /敬辞, 敬語 /敬语
- 敬辭 /敬辞 (jìngcí)title or term of respect
- 敬語 /敬语 (jìngyǔ)title or term of respect
Dutch eretitel
- eretiteltitle or term of respect
Finnish arvonimi, kunnioittava
- arvonimititle or term of respect
- kunnioittavashowing or conferring honour and respect
French titre honorifique, honorifique
- titre honorifiquetitle or term of respect
- honorifiqueshowing or conferring honour and respect
German Höflichkeitsform, Honorifikum
- Höflichkeitsformtitle or term of respect
- Honorifikumlinguistics: word form encoding respect
- Ehren-showing or conferring honour and respect
- Ruhmes-showing or conferring honour and respect
- statusorientiertbased on or valuing honor
- geltungsbegierigbased on or valuing honor
- ehrenbezogenbased on or valuing honor
Hindi सम्मानसूचक
- सम्मानसूचक (sammānsūcak)title or term of respect
Hungarian megtisztelő, tiszteletteljes
- megtisztelőshowing or conferring honour and respect
- tiszteletteljesshowing or conferring honour and respect
- udvariasságishowing or conferring honour and respect
- tiszteletiségishowing or conferring honour and respect
Japanese 敬語
- 敬語 (keigo)title or term of respect
Korean 경어, 존댓말
- 경어 (gyeong'eo)title or term of respect
- 존댓말 (jondaenmal)title or term of respect
- 높임말 (nopimmal)title or term of respect
Polish zwrot grzecznościowy, honorowy
- zwrot grzecznościowytitle or term of respect
- honorowyshowing or conferring honour and respect
- zaszczytnyshowing or conferring honour and respect
- grzecznościowyshowing or conferring honour and respect
- honoryfikatywnyshowing or conferring honour and respect
Portuguese título honorífico, honorífico
- título honoríficotitle or term of respect
- honoríficoshowing or conferring honour and respect
Russian гонорати́в, кэ́йго
- гонорати́в (gonoratív)title or term of respect
- кэ́йго (kɛ́jgo)title or term of respect
- кэйго́ (kɛjgó)title or term of respect
- почте́нный (počténnyj)showing or conferring honour and respect
- поче́стный (počéstnyj)showing or conferring honour and respect
- почётный (počótnyj)showing or conferring honour and respect
Spanish título/término honorífico, palabra honorífica
- título/término honoríficotitle or term of respect
- palabra honoríficalinguistics: word form encoding respect
- vocablo honoríficolinguistics: word form encoding respect
- honoríficoshowing or conferring honour and respect
Ukrainian поче́сний
- поче́сний (počésnyj)showing or conferring honour and respect
Vietnamese kính ngữ
- kính ngữtitle or term of respect
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with honorific
specificpacificscientificterrificprolifichorrificinterspecifichieroglyphiccalorifictranspacificunspecificconspecificsoporificpseudoscientificsalvificcolorificcalcificacidificalgificallospecificanaglyphicanticalcificantiprolificaspecific
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
honorific. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/honorific
MLA
“honorific.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/honorific. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “honorific,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/honorific.
Source: honorific on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.