honorable mention

noun

: a distinction conferred (as in a contest or exhibition) on works or persons of exceptional merit but not deserving of top honors

Examples of honorable mention in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Huskies, as usual, dominated the Big East’s preseason awards, Strong the player of the year, Olivia Vukosa the freshman of the year, Arnold and Quinonez all-conference with Shade honorable mention. — Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 1 Oct. 2026

Here are the honorable mentions from the 2026 NPR Student Podcast Challenge. — Student Podcast Challenge, NPR, 30 Sep. 2026

Tobianski, who is blind, has earned an honorable mention in the 2026 State Fair of Texas Creative Arts competition. — Carmen Blackwell, CBS News, 28 Sep. 2026

Some of this year’s winners and honorable mentions included tiny jellyfish larvae swimming inside water droplets, a colorful sea slug wiggling along and many different forms of cells exploring their microscopic worlds. — Adrianne Morales, Washington Post, 16 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1797, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for honorable mention

• apprehension
• comprehension
• condescension
• hypertension
• hypotension
• reinvention
• reprehension
• resuspension
• attention
• contention
• convention
• declension