Definition of DIGNITY

dignity

Meanings

Plural: dignities

Noun

  • the quality of being worthy of esteem or respect
    • "it was beneath his dignity to cheat"
    • "showed his true dignity when under pressure"
  • formality in bearing and appearance
    • "he behaved with great dignity"
  • high office or rank or station
    • "he respected the dignity of the emissaries"
  • The state of being dignified or worthy of esteem: elevation of mind or character.
  • Decorum, formality, stateliness.
  • High office, rank, or station.
  • One holding high rank; a dignitary.
  • Fundamental principle; axiom; maxim.

Origin / Etymology

Inherited from Middle English dignyte, from Old French dignité, from Latin dignitās (“worthiness, merit, dignity, grandeur, authority, rank, office”), from dignus (“worthy, appropriate”), from Proto-Italic *degnos, from Proto-Indo-European *dḱ-nos, from *deḱ- (“to take”). See also decus (“honor, esteem”) and decet (“it is fitting”). Cognate to deign. Doublet of dainty. In this sense, displaced native Old English weorþsċipe, which became Modern English worship.

Synonyms

gravitas, lordliness, self-regard, self-respect, self-worth, worth, worthiness

Scrabble Score: 12

dignity is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
dignity is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
dignity is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 13

dignity is a valid Words With Friends word