honorific

/ˈɑnəˌrɪfɪk/

Other forms: honorifics; honorifically

If you greet your bus driver every day by saying, "Good Morning, Ms. Smith!" then you're familiar with honorifics, the respectful titles we add to people's names. In Ms. Smith's case, the honorific is Ms.

The most common honorifics in English are the ones we put in front of names, like Mr., Dr., and Reverend and even new coinages like the gender-neutral Mx., which was first attested in the late 1970s. There are military honorifics such as Captain and General, and religious honorifics, including Rabbi, Father, and Imam. Some honorifics come at the end of a person's name: "Mateo Garcia, PhD," and "Angela Smith, DDS," for example. The word honorific is also an adjective meaning "showing respect," as in an honorific award or an honorific title.

Definitions of honorific

1. adjective

   conferring or showing honor or respect
   “honorific social status commonly attaches to membership in a recognized profession”

   synonyms:

   respectful

   full of or exhibiting respect
2. noun

   an expression of respect
   “the Japanese use many honorifics”

   type of:

   expression, formulation

   the style of expressing yourself