A title of honor or honorary title is a title bestowed upon individuals or organizations as an
award in recognition of their merits.
Sometimes the title bears the same or nearly the same name as a
title of authority, but the person bestowed does not have to carry out any duties, except for ceremonial ones. In some cases, these titles are bestowed posthumously.
Some examples of honorary titles from various areas are:
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Academician –
Honorary title (academic)
Honorary titles (professor, reader, lecturer) in academia may be conferred on persons in recognition of contributions by a non-employee or by an employee beyond regular duties. This practice primarily exists in the UK and Germany, as well as in m ...
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Fellow
A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context.
In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements.
Within the context of higher education ...
of an academic, artistic, or professional society
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Freeman of the City of London
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Hero of the Russian Federation
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Honorary Colonel
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Honorary degree
An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad h ...
or position, such as honorary Professor
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Knight
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...
,
Dame, or
Companion of an honorific order
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New Knowledge Worker of Korea The New Knowledge Worker of Korea or New Knowledge Person (abbreviated to NKWK as the post-nominal) ( ko, 대한민국 신지식인) is a distinction and honorary title in the Republic of Korea awarded personally for exceptional achievements with ne ...
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People's Artist
People's Artist is an honorary title in the Soviet Union, Union republics, in some other Eastern bloc states (and communist states in general), as well as in a number of post-Soviet states, modeled after the title of the People's Artist of th ...
* Honorary counselors (''neuvos'') in Finland, such as
valtioneuvos (Counselor of State) and
vuorineuvos (Counselor of Mining)
Some historical honorary titles may be bought, like certain titles of
nobility
Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The character ...
. This has long been a matter of fraud, both outright and indirect. Honorary titles also serve as positions of
sinecure
A sinecure ( or ; from the Latin , 'without', and , 'care') is an office, carrying a salary or otherwise generating income, that requires or involves little or no responsibility, labour, or active service. The term originated in the medieval ch ...
and honorary
retirement
Retirement is the withdrawal from one's position or occupation or from one's active working life. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours or workload.
Many people choose to retire when they are elderly or incapable of doing their j ...
.
See also
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Honorary citizenship
Honorary citizenship is a status bestowed by a city or other government on a foreign or native individual whom it considers to be especially admirable or otherwise worthy of the distinction. The honour usually is symbolic and does not confer an ...
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Agnomen
An ''agnomen'' (; plural: ''agnomina''), in the Roman naming convention, was a nickname, just as the '' cognomen'' was initially. However, the ''cognomina'' eventually became family names, so ''agnomina'' were needed to distinguish between sim ...
, part of the Roman naming convention
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Courtesy title, a form of address in systems of nobility used by children, former wives and other close relatives of a peer
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False titles of nobility
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Hereditary titles
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Honorary title (academic)
Honorary titles (professor, reader, lecturer) in academia may be conferred on persons in recognition of contributions by a non-employee or by an employee beyond regular duties. This practice primarily exists in the UK and Germany, as well as in m ...
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Honorary titles in Russia
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Honorific
An honorific is a title that conveys esteem, courtesy, or respect for position or rank when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term "honorific" is used in a more specific sense to refer to an honorary academic title. It ...
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Laqab, part of a traditional Arabic name
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List of titles
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Royal and noble styles
Styles represent the fashion by which monarchs and noblemen are properly addressed. Throughout history, many different styles were used, with little standardization. This page will detail the various styles used by royalty and nobility in Europe ...
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Style (manner of address)
A style of office or form of address, also called manner of address, is an official or legally recognized form of address for a person or other entity (such as a government or company), and may often be used in conjunction with a personal title. ...
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Victory title, honorific title adopted by a successful military commander to commemorate a victory
External links
Fake titles
Honorary titles
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