honorary
Given as an honor only
Used for a title, job, or degree that someone receives as a special honor, without doing the normal work or study and usually without being paid.
honorary [title/position/degree/membership]
- She received an honorary degree from the university for her work in human rights.
- He was made an honorary member of the board after stepping down as CEO.
- The museum appointed her as its honorary director in recognition of her long support.
- Several celebrities hold honorary titles from the charity for their fundraising efforts.
- The club offered him an honorary position so he could stay involved without responsibilities.
- The college gave him an honorary degree because he helped many students.
- She became an honorary member of the club, but she does not need to attend meetings.
- He has an honorary title at the university, but he does not teach any classes.
- They gave her an honorary role on the committee as a way to thank her.
- The city made him an honorary citizen for his support.
Unpaid position or job
Used for a job or role where the person works but does not get money for it.
honorary [job/position/office]
- She serves as the charity’s honorary treasurer, managing the accounts without pay.
- He agreed to become the club’s honorary secretary after retiring from full-time work.
- The organization relies heavily on honorary officers to keep running.
- He was appointed honorary consul and carries out his duties without a salary.
- Several members hold honorary positions on the committee to support its work.
- She works as an honorary secretary for the local club.
- He is the honorary treasurer, so he does not get money for the job.
- The museum has many honorary helpers who work for free.
- My uncle is an honorary adviser to the group and is not paid.
- The company named her an honorary director, but it is an unpaid role.
Treated as a member informally
Used for a person who is not officially in a group or family, but people talk about them as if they are.
honorary [group/identity/family role]
- After years of visiting, he became an honorary member of the family.
- She calls him her honorary uncle because he has known her since she was born.
- He likes to think of himself as an honorary New Yorker after living there for a decade.
- The town made her an honorary citizen for her long-term support.
- Among her friends, she is considered an honorary Texan because of her love for the state.
- He is like an honorary brother to me.
- They call her an honorary aunt because she is very close to the children.
- Everyone in the village sees him as an honorary local.
- After many years here, I feel like an honorary citizen of this city.
- He became an honorary member of their family over time.
- Base: honorary
honorary chair
1Chair role held as an honor
A chair position in a group or event that someone has mainly as an honor, not to run the meetings or do the main work.
- She served as the honorary chair of the fundraising campaign.
- The celebrity agreed to be the honorary chair for the gala.
- An honorary chair was named to recognize his long support for the museum.
honorary citizenship
1Symbolic city or state citizenship
A special, symbolic form of being a citizen that a city or country gives to someone as an honor, often without giving normal legal rights.
- The mayor granted her honorary citizenship for her work with local schools.
- He received honorary citizenship of the town where he grew up.
- Several foreign leaders were given honorary citizenship during the festival.
honorary degree
1Degree given as an honor
A special degree that a university gives to someone to thank or praise them, even though they did not study there for that degree.
- The actor received an honorary degree for his work in promoting education.
- Several community leaders were awarded honorary degrees at the ceremony.
- She holds an honorary degree from Harvard for her contributions to public health.
honorary doctorate
1Doctoral degree given as honor
A special doctor-level degree that a university gives to someone as an honor, without them doing the normal long study and research.
- She was awarded an honorary doctorate in law for her human rights work.
- The university presented him with an honorary doctorate during its 100th anniversary.
- Several artists received honorary doctorates in recognition of their cultural impact.
honorary member
1Member by special honor
A person who is made a member of a club or group as a special honor, often without paying or doing normal member duties.
- She was invited to become an honorary member of the association.
- The club made him an honorary member after fifty years of service.
- Several retired players are honorary members of the team’s board.
honorary president
1President in title only
A person who has the title of president of a group as an honor, but usually does not run the group day to day.
- After stepping down, she became the organization’s honorary president.
- The club elected him honorary president in recognition of his service.
- An honorary president was appointed to give the charity more public visibility.
honorary secretary
1Unpaid secretary of an organization
A person who does the secretary work for a club or group without pay, usually as a respected member.
- She serves as honorary secretary of the local sports club.
- The honorary secretary sends out meeting notices and keeps the minutes.
- The association elects an honorary secretary every two years.
honorary title
1Title given without real power
A special name or rank that someone gets as an honor, but it does not give them real power or work to do.
- The position of patron is mainly an honorary title.
- They offered him an honorary title so he could stay connected to the company.
- In many charities, the president role is an honorary title with few duties.
honorary treasurer
1Unpaid treasurer of an organization
A person who looks after the money of a club or group without pay, usually as a trusted member.
- He has been the charity’s honorary treasurer for ten years.
- The honorary treasurer prepares the annual financial report.
- They are looking for someone to act as honorary treasurer of the society.
honorary consul
1Unpaid part-time consular official
A person who helps a foreign country and its people in a city or region, often part-time and without pay, but in an official way.
- An honorary consul in the port city assists visiting sailors from his country.
- He was appointed honorary consul for Japan in the region.
- She serves as honorary consul for Sweden while running her law firm.
- The honorary consul helps local citizens with visa questions.
- Many small countries rely on honorary consuls instead of full embassies.