If someone has dignity, it means they are worthy of respect. If you really want the lead role in a play and you try to bribe the director to give it to you, she might say, “Have you no dignity?”

Someone with dignity carries herself well. If you lose an election, and you say nasty things about your opponent and try to undermine her, you are acting without dignity. But if you graciously congratulate her and accept the results, then you are behaving in a dignified manner. We also talk about human dignity, which is an idea of what separates humans from animals. Human Rights activists believe that everyone has the right to live with dignity.

Definitions of dignity
  1. noun
    the quality of being worthy of esteem or respect
    “it was beneath his dignity to cheat”
    “showed his true dignity when under pressure”
    synonyms: self-regard, self-respect, self-worth
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    type of:
    pride, pridefulness
    a feeling of self-respect and personal worth
  2. noun
    formality in bearing and appearance
    “he behaved with great dignity
    synonyms: gravitas, lordliness
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    type of:
    bearing, comportment, mien, presence
    dignified manner or conduct
  3. noun
    high office or rank or station
    “he respected the dignity of the emissaries”
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    type of:
    position, status
Word Family