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Definition of dignity noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

dignity

noun
 
/ˈdɪɡnəti/
 
/ˈdɪɡnəti/
Idioms
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  1. [uncountable, singular] a calm and serious manner that deserves respect
    • She accepted the criticism with quiet dignity.
    • He brings a quiet dignity to the role.
    • His aristocratic voice gives him an air of dignity and power.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • enormous
    • great
    • calm
    verb + dignity
    • have
    • possess
    • keep
    preposition
    • below somebody’s dignity
    • beneath somebody’s dignity
    • with dignity
    phrases
    • an air of dignity
    • a lack of dignity
    • a loss of dignity
    See full entry
  2. [uncountable] the fact of being given honour and respect by people
    • the dignity of work
    • The terminally ill should be allowed to die with dignity.
    Extra Examples
    • We felt that the way she was treated was lacking in dignity.
    • Slavery destroys human dignity.
    • Keeping prisoners in such dreadful conditions strips them of all dignity.
    • The awful thing about old age is losing your dignity.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • enormous
    • great
    • calm
    verb + dignity
    • have
    • possess
    • keep
    preposition
    • below somebody’s dignity
    • beneath somebody’s dignity
    • with dignity
    phrases
    • an air of dignity
    • a lack of dignity
    • a loss of dignity
    See full entry
  3. [uncountable] a sense of your own importance and value
    • It's difficult to preserve your dignity when you have no job and no home.
    Extra Examples
    • She had a strong sense of dignity.
    • These people have enormous dignity.
    • Money means independence and personal dignity.
    • We all want to maintain our dignity in old age.
    • He needed a way to retreat with his dignity intact.
    • With as much dignity as he could muster, he left the room.
    • He hoped that he could change his mind without loss of dignity.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • enormous
    • great
    • calm
    verb + dignity
    • have
    • possess
    • keep
    preposition
    • below somebody’s dignity
    • beneath somebody’s dignity
    • with dignity
    phrases
    • an air of dignity
    • a lack of dignity
    • a loss of dignity
    See full entry
  4. Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French dignete, from Latin dignitas, from dignus ‘worthy’.
Idioms
beneath your dignity
  1. below what you see as your own importance or worth
    • He clearly regarded manual work as beneath his dignity.
stand on your dignity
  1. (formal) to demand to be treated with the respect that you think that you deserve
    • Our teacher never stands on her dignity with us, but treats us all as friends and colleagues.
    • She was never one to stand on her dignity.
See dignity in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee dignity in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English

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