Honorable Meaning
/ˈɒn.ə ɹəbl̩/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
adjBehaving in a manner that shows honor; decent, having integrity.
adjWorthy of respect; respectable.
Sentence Examples
You should do the honorable thing and resign.
I would prefer an honorable death.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ judge always made very fair and just decisions.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He was remembered as an ____ man who always stood up for what he believed was right.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English honourable, from Old French honorable, honurable, from Latin honōrābilis, from honōrō (“to honour”); cognate with Italian onorabile, Spanish honorable. By surface analysis, honor + -able. In this sense, largely displaced Old English ārfæst.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"In confinement ladies are attended, not by the ordinary doctors, but by women especially devoted to the calling, who regard their profession as honorable and humanitary."
— 1887, The Popular Science Monthly, volume 31, page 629:
"Luxury was abolished. People lived in honorable marriage. All the women were chaste, faithful, and far from wantoners."
— 1943, Korean Research Bulletin, volumes 1-2, page 20:
"Uncheered by friends, unhissed by foes, the honorable member blandly continued his speech […]"
— 1872, Dinah Maria Mulock Craik, The Unkind Word, and Other Stories, page 145:
"These included a reception for the Congress participants, given by the city of Barcelona in a 14th century palace, with guards making room for the mayor and other honorables, […]"
— 1959, American Journal of Psychotherapy, volume 13, page 111:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ judge always made very fair and just decisions.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He was remembered as an ____ man who always stood up for what he believed was right.