honoree

IPA/ˌɒnəˈriː/
KK[ɑnɚˈi]IPA/ˌɑːnəˈriː/

honoree — noun

  • honoreesingular
  • honoreesplural

1. a person who receives an award or special public recognition at a formal event s

1.nounB2
Definition

a person who receives an award or special public recognition at a formal event such as a ceremony or dinner

Example

The evening's main honoree, Mathieu, received a standing ovation after his speech about community service.

article + possessive + honoree used as subject

As this year's honoree, Selim thanked his former teachers during the award dinner.

as + this year's honoree opening adverbial phrase

Common collocations
  • this year's honoree
  • the evening's honoree
  • the main honoree
  • honoree at the ceremony
  • introduce the honoree
Synonyms
  • recipient

    broader term — used for any person who receives something (a prize, a donation, a transplant), not limited to ceremonial recognition

  • award winner

    more direct and informal; specifies that a prize or trophy was given, not just an honorary title

  • laureate

    more formal and narrower; typically reserved for winners of prestigious prizes such as the Nobel Prize

Antonyms
  • presenter

    the person who hands out the award rather than receiving it

Grammar Patterns

the honoree

this year's honoree

Usage Note

Commonly preceded by a possessive or demonstrative (this year's honoree, the evening's honoree). The word is most frequent in formal announcements, award galas, and news coverage of ceremonies.

Common Mistakes

The honoree winner gave a speech.
The honoree gave a speech.
'honoree' already means the person who receives an honor; adding 'winner' is redundant.
He was the honoree of the award.
He was the honoree at the ceremony.
'honoree' refers to the person recognized, not the award; use 'recipient of the award' if naming what they received.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

While all three words refer to someone who receives something positive, they differ in scope and register. Recipient is the broadest — it covers any person who receives anything from a letter to a prize to an organ donation, and it can be used in both formal and neutral contexts. Award winner is more specific and informal; it emphasizes that a prize or trophy was won through competition or merit. Laureate sits at the most formal end and is almost exclusively used for distinguished international honours such as the Nobel Prize, the Pulitzer Prize, or poet laureate positions. For example, you would call a local science-fair champion an award winner, the person handed a plaque at a charity gala the honoree, and the chemist receiving a Nobel the laureate.

recipient ↗award winnerlaureate

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • this year's honoree
  • the evening's honoree
  • main honoree
  • head-table honoree

Prepositions

  • at (the ceremony/dinner)
  • of (the evening/night)

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Honoree is formed from the verb honor (or honour in British spelling) plus the suffix -ee, which marks the person who is the recipient of an action — like employee is someone who is employed, and trainee is someone who is being trained. The base word honor came into English from Old French honur, which itself traces back to Latin honor, meaning 'esteem, regard, or dignity'. The -ee suffix entered English via French legal terms ending in -é/-ée.

First known use

1892

1892, in the meaning defined above