What does dignify mean?
Word: Dignify
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Dignify means to give something honour or make it seem more important and worthy of respect, sometimes more than it deserves.
Synonyms: honour, ennoble, grace
Antonyms: demean, belittle
How do you spell dignify?
Syllables: dig - ni - fy
Tricky part: It ends in -ify, like magnify and simplify, not -efy or -afy.
Watch out for: dignefy, dignafy, digniffy
Memory tip: Make-it-so verbs like magnify and simplify end in -ify; dignify joins them, so finish with i-f-y.
Idioms and Phrases
- not dignify something with a reply: to refuse to answer because a remark is too rude or silly to deserve it Example: "Riya did not dignify the silly rumour with a reply."
Dignify in a sentence
Example 1: The chief guest's presence dignified our small school function.
Example 2: A simple brass plaque dignified the entrance of the old library.
Example 3: The award dignified years of quiet work by the village teacher.
Fun Fact
Dignify comes from the Latin dignus, 'worthy', the same root found in dignity and indignant.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Puzzle
Match the words with the correct options:
1. dignify 2. borrow 3. rigid a. flexible b. lend c. degrade
a) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
b) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
c) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
d) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
Show answer
b) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a. Each pair is a pair of opposites: to honour and to degrade, to take and to give back, stiff and bendy.
Jumble Tumble
Choose the correct sequence of the jumbled letters to form a meaningful word:
fignyid 1234567
a) 7234615
b) 7231465
c) 5164327
d) 7243615
Show answer
a) 7234615. Begin with letter 7, the d, then 2, 3, 4, 6, 1 and 5.
Sound Check
In which word is 'gn' pronounced differently?
a) ignite
b) design
c) signal
d) dignify
Show answer
b) design. Design has a silent g; in dignify, signal and ignite both the g and the n are heard.
Spellacadabra
Which word has an extra letter that must be removed to spell it correctly?
a) justify
b) simplify
c) terrify
d) diginify
Show answer
d) diginify. No vowel sits between the g and the n of dignify.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. If important guests dignify a small ceremony by attending, they ___.
a) make it cost less money
b) make it a lot noisier
c) make it end much sooner
d) make it feel grander and more special
Show answer
d) make it feel grander and more special
2. Which of these is most likely to dignify a simple school hall?
a) peeling paint on all the walls
b) a pile of broken chairs in one corner
c) a framed portrait of the founder above the stage
d) a leaking tap beside the door
Show answer
c) a framed portrait of the founder above the stage
