dignify

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“
The purpose of vengeance excepted, I would feel as generously as herself; and even vengeance, did I know how, I would dignify--But do not surmise that I would retract!--No, by heaven!

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Definitions (10)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (2)

  1. transitive verb To confer dignity or honor on; give distinction to: dignified him with a title.
  2. transitive verb To raise the status of (something unworthy or lowly); make honorable: would not dignify the insulting question with a response.

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Examples (50)

  • Morgan did not dignify his words with any response. —  SLIGHTLY TEMPTED
  • I won't certainly dignify or amplify its noise with a link. comment on RD's blog speaks more eloquently that I could about why I view the drummer with even higher esteem. —  Kottu
  • I'm not even going to dignify the jank beats by discussing them, but I will say Britney might want to consult a high-school English teacher the next time she writes a lyric -- "They're not believin 'what they're seein' / 'Cause you're rebellion." —  Entertainment Weekly's PopWatch
  • And then there's this silly pig-lipstick business, which I wouldn't even dignify by mentioning except that, obvious as it was that Obama was talking about McCain and not Palin, the McCain camp has now created something called the "Palin Truth Squad" that was formed to push the lie that Obama was talking about Palin. —  Suzie-Q
  • I will not dignify the latest American penchant for selfishness or lessen the dignity of the scriptures or cast my pearls before the many by quoting from them. —  The Reality Check
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Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Allen's Allen's Synonyms and Antonyms

Used in the same context Used in the Same Context

Used in the same contextWord Family

dignify:   dignified ·  dignifies
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (2)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English dignifien, from Old French dignifier, from Late Latin dignificāre : Latin dignus, worthy; see dek- in Indo-European roots + Latin -ficāre, -fy.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (1)

  1. from Old French dignifier = Spanish Portuguese dignificar = Italian degnificare, from Middle Latin dignificare, think worthy, literally make worthy, from Latin dignus, worthy, + facere, make.
 

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/ˈdɪgnɪfai/
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