Honorable

4 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Honorable \Hon"or*a*ble\ ([o^]n"[~e]r*[.a]*b'l), a. [F.
     honorable, L. honorabilis.]
     1. Worthy of honor; fit to be esteemed or regarded;
        estimable; illustrious.
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              Thy name and honorable family.        --Shak.
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     2. High-minded; actuated by principles of honor, or a
        scrupulous regard to probity, rectitude, or reputation.
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     3. Proceeding from an upright and laudable cause, or directed
        to a just and proper end; not base; irreproachable; fair;
        as, an honorable motive.
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              Is this proceeding just and honorable? --Shak.
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     4. Conferring honor, or produced by noble deeds.
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              Honorable wounds from battle brought. --Dryden.
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     5. Worthy of respect; regarded with esteem; to be commended;
        consistent with honor or rectitude.
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              Marriage is honorable in all.         --Heb. xiii.
                                                    4.
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     6. Performed or accompanied with marks of honor, or with
        testimonies of esteem; as, an honorable burial.
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     7. Of reputable association or use; respectable.
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              Let her descend: my chambers are honorable. --Shak.
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     8. An epithet of respect or distinction; as, the honorable
        Senate; the honorable gentleman.
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     Note: Honorable is a title of quality, conferred by English
           usage upon the younger children of earls and all the
           children of viscounts and barons. The maids of honor,
           lords of session, and the supreme judges of England and
           Ireland are entitled to the prefix. In American usage,
           it is a title of courtesy merely, bestowed upon those
           who hold, or have held, any of the higher public
           offices, esp. governors, judges, members of Congress or
           of the Senate, mayors, and often also extended to lower
           officials, such as city council members.
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     {Right honorable}. See under {Right}.
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From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  honorable
       adj 1: not disposed to cheat or defraud; not deceptive or
              fraudulent; "honest lawyers"; "honest reporting"; "an
              honest wage"; "honest weight" [syn: {honest}] [ant: {dishonest}]
       2: showing or characterized by honor and integrity; "an
          honorable man"; "led an honorable life"; "honorable
          service to his country" [syn: {honourable}] [ant: {dishonorable}]
       3: used as a title of respect; "my honorable colleague"; "our
          worthy commanding officer" [syn: {honourable}]
       4: adhering to ethical and moral principles; "it seems ethical
          and right"; "followed the only honorable course of
          action"; "had the moral courage to stand alone" [syn: {ethical},
           {honourable}, {moral}]
       5: deserving of esteem and respect; "all respectable companies
          give guarantees"; "ruined the family's good name" [syn: {estimable},
           {good}, {respectable}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  120 Moby Thesaurus words for "honorable":
     Christian, acclaimed, appropriate, artless, august, awe-inspiring,
     awesome, awful, blameless, celebrated, clean, conscientious,
     correct, creditable, decent, disinterested, distinguished,
     dreadful, eminent, equitable, erect, esteemed, estimable, ethical,
     exalted, fair, fair and square, famed, famous, fitting,
     full of integrity, good, guileless, held in esteem, high-minded,
     high-principled, highly esteemed, highly regarded, highly reputed,
     highly respectable, honest, honorary, honored, honorific,
     illustrious, immaculate, impartial, in favor, in good odor,
     in high favor, incorruptible, ingenuous, inviolate, irreproachable,
     just, law-abiding, law-loving, law-revering, manly, meritorious,
     moral, noble, notable, noted, noteworthy, on the level, open,
     prestigious, principled, proper, pure, renowned, reputable,
     respectable, respected, revered, reverend, right, right-minded,
     righteous, scrupulous, sincere, spotless, square, stainless,
     sterling, straight, time-honored, true, true-dealing, true-devoted,
     true-disposing, true-souled, true-spirited, truehearted,
     trustworthy, trusty, unbiased, unblemished, uncorrupt, uncorrupted,
     undeceitful, undeceiving, undefiled, unimpeachable, unprejudiced,
     unspotted, unstained, unsullied, untarnished, upright, uprighteous,
     upstanding, venerable, venerated, virtuous, well-thought-of,
     worshipful, worthy, yeomanly
  
  

From THE DEVIL'S DICTIONARY ((C)1911 Released April 15 1993) [devils]:

  HONORABLE, adj.  Afflicted with an impediment in one's reach.  In
  legislative bodies it is customary to mention all members as
  honorable; as, "the honorable gentleman is a scurvy cur."