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Glite Dictionary
honorary society

honorary society

6.1
A group that gives membership to people for good work in a field like science or art
  • noun
  • /ˈɑːnərɛri səˈsaɪəti/
  • Formal
translation icon : sociedad honoraria
  • Members of the honorary society were celebrated for their significant contributions to science and technology.

Examples

  • The National Honor Society is an honorary society that recognizes outstanding high school students for their academic achievements.

  • Winners were given a medal and made members of an honorary society called the B Club.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • The College of the State Bar of Texas is an honorary society of lawyers who are among the best-trained attorneys in Texas.

    Blog text (1)

  • To become part of this prestigious honorary society, candidates must demonstrate excellence in their field of study.

Synonyms

academy
vshonorary society
43 3.5

An organization that supports work in science, art, or literature

focuses on recognizing achievement by granting membership for merit

How Prestigious

honorary society
  • Formal
6.1
club
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

honorary society singular
honorary societies plural

Morphology

honorary + society

The adjective 'honorary' (= given as an honor) directly modifies 'society' (= an association), so a learner who knows both words can readily infer this refers to an association that recognizes or confers honors. The meaning follows ordinary adjective+noun composition and is cross-linguistically common, making it immediately comprehensible to B1 learners.

Etymology

Honorary society comes from clubs that gave honorary titles, meaning an 'honor' or public praise, to people who were not paid, and society simply meant a group or club. So an honary society is a society that gives membership to 'recognize' someone's achievement rather than for work or pay.