Dignity: Worth That Does Not Depend on Circumstances
Dignity is the quality of being worthy of respect. It also means composure under pressure, and in modern ethics it names something every person is held to have simply by being human.
Dignity is worthiness of respect. Modern human rights law turned it into a claim rather than a compliment: the Universal Declaration opens by saying all human beings are born equal in dignity, which makes it something you have rather than something you earn.
- Worthiness of respect. *Human dignity.*
- Composure and self-respect. *She accepted the result with dignity.*
- Seriousness of manner. *The dignity of the occasion.*
- High rank (archaic). *Raised to the dignity of an earl.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | dignity | Personal dignity. |
| Adjective | dignified | A dignified silence. |
| Verb | dignify | Do not dignify it with a reply. |
| Person | dignitary | Visiting dignitaries. |
| Opposite | indignity | The indignity of it. |
How it is used in a sentence
- He kept his dignity throughout the hearing.Composure under pressure.
- I will not dignify that with an answer.Refusing to treat something as worth responding to.
- Care must respect the dignity of the patient.The standard formula in health and social care.
The worth family
- Dignity — worthiness of respect
- Dignitary — a person of high rank
- Deign — to condescend, from the same root
- Indignant — angry at something unworthy
- Indignity — a humiliation, the opposite of dignity
From Latin *dignitas*, worth, from *dignus*, worthy. *Indignant* is the surprise of the family: to be indignant is to feel that something unworthy has been done, which is anger on behalf of dignity.
Can dignity be taken away?
In the sense of composure, yes. In the human rights sense it is held to be inherent and therefore cannot be forfeited, only violated.
What does dignify mean?
To make something seem worthy of respect. It is most often used negatively: refusing to dignify an accusation with a reply.