[syn: estimable, good, honorable, respectable]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
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.
[1913 Webster]
Thy name and honorable family. --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
2. High-minded; actuated by principles of honor, or a
scrupulous regard to probity, rectitude, or reputation.
[1913 Webster]
3. Proceeding from an upright and laudable cause, or directed
to a just and proper end; not base; irreproachable; fair;
as, an honorable motive.
[1913 Webster]
Is this proceeding just and honorable? --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
4. Conferring honor, or produced by noble deeds.
[1913 Webster]
Honorable wounds from battle brought. --Dryden.
[1913 Webster]
5. Worthy of respect; regarded with esteem; to be commended;
consistent with honor or rectitude.
[1913 Webster]
Marriage is honorable in all. --Heb. xiii.
4.
[1913 Webster]
6. Performed or accompanied with marks of honor, or with
testimonies of esteem; as, an honorable burial.
[1913 Webster]
7. Of reputable association or use; respectable.
[1913 Webster]
Let her descend: my chambers are honorable. --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
8. An epithet of respect or distinction; as, the honorable
Senate; the honorable gentleman.
[1913 Webster]
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.
[1913 Webster]
Right honorable. See under Right.
[1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
honorable
adj 1: not disposed to cheat or defraud; not deceptive or
fraudulent; "honest lawyers"; "honest reporting" [syn:
honest, honorable] [ant: dishonest, dishonorable]
2: worthy of being honored; entitled to honor and respect; "an
honorable man"; "led an honorable life"; "honorable service
to his country" [syn: honorable, honourable] [ant:
dishonorable, dishonourable]
3: adhering to ethical and moral principles; "it seems ethical
and right"; "followed the only honorable course of action"
[syn: ethical, honorable, honourable]
4: deserving of esteem and respect; "all respectable companies
give guarantees"; "ruined the family's good name" [syn:
estimable, good, honorable, respectable]
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:
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
The Devil's Dictionary (1881-1906):
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."