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Valedictory addresses delivered by earnest young valedictorians at high school and college graduations are as much a sign of spring in the United States as baseball games and cookouts. Though we don’t know where the first valedictory address was given, we do know that the word was an institution at some colleges in the U.S. by the mid-1700s. English speakers and writers have also used valedictory in non-academic settings since the mid-1600s. Since a valedictory speech is given at the end of an academic career, it is perfectly in keeping with the meaning of its Latin ancestor, valedicere, which means "to say farewell."
Synonyms
Examples of valedictory in a Sentence
A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 25 June 2024
But the olive branch is a reminder of the valedictory nature of most formal portraits.
—Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 13 Dec. 2023
Justin Davidson, Curbed, 2 Oct. 2024
His appearance — the first live in studio visit to the show by a sitting president — felt a bit of a valedictory, as the president sat with the co-hosts against a backdrop of photos from his 50-year career, and clips of his past appearances on the show were shown before commercial breaks.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2024
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Dictionary Entries Near valedictory
Cite this Entry
“Valedictory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/valedictory. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.
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