Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

dignitary

/ˈdɪɡnɪtɹi/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.32 in modern English

Syllables: dig-ni-tary
IPA: /ˈdɪɡnɪtɹi/

14

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

4

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An important or influential person, or one of high rank or position.

adj

Relating to dignity.

Example Sentences

"Chinese dignitaries traveled with us from place to place, and when ready to depart from Urumchi, or Tihwa, we were introduced to the high officials who were going along in the plane."
"It was a remarkable climax to a match that ended with another of those disappearing acts from John Terry only to re-emerge, in full kit, so he could climb the steps, shake the hands of Eusébio, Michel Platini and all the other dignitaries, then help Frank Lampard to lift the trophy."
"The badness of a dignitary harm derives from the victim's belief that a perpetrator is willing to override or ignore her standing as a person with rights, with dignity, as evidenced by the wrongful criminal deed; […]"

Etymology

Borrowed from French dignitaire.

Regional Pronunciation

British English: /ˈdɪɡnɪtɹi/

Inflected Forms

dignitaries (plural)

Synonyms

very important person vip high-up panjandrum high muckamuck

Questions

How do you pronounce dignitary?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈdɪɡnɪtɹi/.
What does dignitary mean?: An important or influential person, or one of high rank or position.
Where does dignitary come from?: Borrowed from French dignitaire.

How to pronounce dignitary

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “dignitary”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈdɪɡnɪtɹi/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “dignitary”.
Repeat and practice — Say “dignitary” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.