honoree

[ on-uh-ree ]

noun

1. a person who receives an honor, award, or special recognition.

Word History and Origins

Origin of honoree¹

honor + -ee

Example Sentences

“I find that children don’t think about what color you are, how old you are or what your background is,” she told The Times in 2004 upon being named a Grammy Award honoree.

From Los Angeles Times

At his event on Wednesday, Prince William spoke on the negative impacts of the wildlife trade and the “over-exploitation of nature,” and celebrated honorees who he said are helping combat environmental crises.

From Los Angeles Times

For its final season, the two-time Peabody and Spirit winner and three-time AFI honoree finally received Emmy recognition: five nominations, including for comedy series and a first nod for lead actor Woon-A-Tai.

From Los Angeles Times

The 78-year-old activist and philanthropist is a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, a Kennedy Center honoree and is the only woman to top the Billboard charts in seven consecutive decades.

From Los Angeles Times

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Thursday announced the recipients of its 47th class of honorees for lifetime artistic achievement.

From Los Angeles Times

More About Honoree

What is an honoree?

An honoree is a person who receives some type of honor or award, often during a special event. 

To be honored is to be held in high respect by others. If you are an honoree, you are receiving recognition for something you’ve done that’s seen as exceptional or outstanding. At a graduation party held to celebrate your graduation from school, you would be the honoree. At a dinner held to celebrate a businessperson who donated a large sum of money to a charity, the businessperson is the honoree.  

At award shows like the Academy Awards, people who receive the awards are the honorees. Honorees are any group of people who are being celebrated for their accomplishments or behavior.

Example: At this time, I ask that tonight’s honorees please stand up.

Where does honoree come from?

The first records of the term honoree come from around the 1890s. It combines the term honor, meaning “to hold in high respect,” and the suffix -ee, which denotes a person receiving the action of a verb. An honoree is someone who is honored or who receives an honor.

Did you know ... ?

What are some words that share a root or word element with honoree? 

• honor
• honorific
• honor-bound
• attendee
• evacuee

What are some words that often get used in discussing honoree?

• award
• recognition
• event
• tribute

How is honoree used in real life?

Honoree is used to describe someone who is being specially recognized for something, usually at an event.

Considering I'm usually interviewing stars at #TrevorLIVE's red carpet, it's surreal to be walking as an honoree tonight. Thinking of Y'ALL.

— tyler oakley (@tyleroakley) June 16, 2014

Every Video Vanguard honoree at the #VMAs this decade:

2011: Britney Spears
2013: Justin Timberlake
2014: Beyoncé
2015: Kanye West
2016: Rihanna
2017: P!nk
2018: Jennifer Lopez
2019: Missy Elliott

— Video Music Awards (@vmas) December 4, 2019

And congratulations to LA Reid, tonight's honoree at Clive Davis' preGrammy party. You deserve all the love you're getting. I'm grateful 4 u

— P!nk (@Pink) February 10, 2013

 

Try using honoree!

Is honoree used correctly in the following sentence?

“Juanita was the honoree at this year’s banquet because of her work on the company’s new line of products.”