Similar to many other words, honor has different meanings which depend on the context or situation when this concept is used. To better understand the main meanings of honor, only three definitions will be provided in the paper. Although there are some others meanings, it is worth mentioning that they are either used in certain limited spheres of life or not used in modern English at all. Such meanings of honor as high respect, a good reputation, and privilege will be discussed in this paper.
First of all, honor is a privilege given to a person. It may be a rare opportunity or important event. For instance, it is usually an honor to see a president or any other person of higher social status because such meetings do not occur frequently, and they often bring the feelings of internal pleasure and satisfaction. Similarly, it is an honor to conduct a mission of national importance, for example, be an ambassador at an international conference. This event is rare, and responsibility gives pleasure.
Secondly, honor also means high respect and esteem for somebody. From this point of view, honor refers to the respectful treatment of another person due to his/her high social status or great accomplishments. At the same time, it should be understood that an individual’s important position in society may be either inherited (a well-known family) or gained (because of some action or achievement). To my mind, it is an honor for every person to meet the British queen.
Thirdly, honor means a good reputation in society. An example that illustrates this meaning is a knight who prefers to die in a fight against several other warriors because surrender will destroy his honor. Moreover, this particular meaning of the word may be considered old-fashioned as it is not frequently used in modern English.
All the three meanings are rather similar, although there are some differences. The second definition presupposes the presence of a person who either has high social status or performed a heroic or important deed. For example, a firefighter who climbed into a burning house and saved a child deserves honor and respect. In contrast, the meaning of honor as a privilege does not relate to a person. Instead, honor is connected with a big event or meeting of a famous individual, which brings pleasure to other people.
At the same time, the second and third meanings of the term are somewhat similar, although the difference is in the nature of respect and a great reputation. In case of high esteem, these are other people who value and respect the social position of a particular person. However, in the second case, it is usually a person who earns and maintains a good reputation in society.
To conclude, honor has several meanings, although only three most important ones were discussed in the paper. Specifically, honor means a good reputation, privilege, or high respect. Despite the fact that it might seem that these definitions are very similar, there are some differences in their meanings, contexts, and situations when they are used. All in all, honor refers to something outstanding or something that does not occur on an everyday basis.

About the author

Rico Shenk has been the lead blog writer at nursing paper writing service https://elitewritings.com/nursing-writing-services.html since 2018. His passion for helping people in all aspects of online marketing flows through in the expert industry coverage he provides. In addition to blog writing, Rico is interested in technical writing and copywriting services.