Meaning
A dignitary is an important or high-ranking person, especially one holding an official or ceremonial position, such as a government, religious, or military official.
Grammar and Usage
- Part of speech: noun
- Plural: dignitaries
- Usually refers to people who hold positions of honor or authority.
- Commonly used with adjectives like foreign, local, religious, governmental, or visiting.
- Often appears in formal or news-related contexts.
Typical sentence structures
- “A group of dignitaries attended the ceremony.”
- “Several foreign dignitaries visited Japan for the summit.”
Common Phrases
- foreign dignitary – an important official from another country
- local dignitary – a respected or influential person in a local community
- religious dignitary – a senior figure in a religious organization
- attend with dignitaries – to participate in an event alongside high officials
Collocations
- meet dignitaries
- honor dignitaries
- invite dignitaries
- government dignitaries
- distinguished dignitaries
Examples
- Many foreign dignitaries attended the state funeral.
- The mayor welcomed the dignitaries at the city hall.
- Security was tight because several international dignitaries were present.
- A reception was held in honor of the visiting dignitaries.
- The event brought together dignitaries from across the country.
- The dignitary gave a short speech before the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
- Police escorted the dignitaries to their hotel.
- The university invited several religious dignitaries to the graduation ceremony.
Synonyms or Related
- official
- VIP (Very Important Person)
- notable
- luminary
- leader
Antonym
- commoner
- ordinary person
- civilian