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august

adjective

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au·gust | \ ȯ-ˈgəst

, ˈȯ-(ˌ)gəst

Definition of august

(Entry 1 of 2)

: marked by majestic dignity or grandeur her august lineage an august mansion

August

noun

Au·gust | \ ˈȯ-gəst

Definition of August (Entry 2 of 2)

: the eighth month of the Gregorian calendar

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Synonyms & Antonyms for august

Synonyms: Adjective

Antonyms: Adjective

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August comes from the Latin word augustus, meaning "consecrated" or "venerable," which in turn is related to the Latin augur, meaning "consecrated by augury" or "auspicious." In 8 B.C. the Roman Senate honored Augustus Caesar, the first Roman emperor, by changing the name of their month "Sextilis" to "Augustus." Middle English speakers inherited the name of the month of August, but it wasn't until the mid-1600s that "august" came to be used generically in English, more or less as "augustus" was in Latin, to refer to someone with imperial qualities.

Examples of august in a Sentence

Adjective We visited their august mansion and expansive grounds. The family claims an august lineage. Noun We are taking our vacation in August. The last two Augusts have been very dry.

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective Rossi's background includes the hagiographic Page One: Inside The New York Times and the documentary's executive producers include CNN's Brian Stelter, its talking heads coming largely from the more august and austere hubs of the legacy media. — Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Mar. 2020 In person, Barnett has rock-star charisma that belies her august pedigree and sets her apart from her besuited peers. — Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 13 Apr. 2020 At the moment, the Oscars reflect the Academy, but the Academy reflects nothing but its august name; plausible deniability and the shunning of responsibility are built into the current system. — Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 15 Jan. 2020 For its presiding officer, Chief Justice John Roberts, the trial ought to be imagined as an earnest weighing up of truth and lies by a most august assembly. — Fintan O’toole, The New York Review of Books, 30 Jan. 2020 Tut-tutting about how the president and his minions have turned an august judicial process into an over-the-top spectacle is not going to get them anywhere, especially with their otherwise reliable media allies. — Matthew Walther, TheWeek, 17 Jan. 2020 The metropolitan elitism that looks down from the august heights of Ivy League self-esteem on the centrality of athletic programs to so many colleges is quite entrenched. — Gerard Baker, WSJ, 17 Jan. 2020 Most were faculty, august scholars and artists, but W, a singer with a staff job, was also part of the circle. — Longreads, 2 Jan. 2020 Well, that’s thanks to the august ladies who helm the San Francisco Cotillion Club Committee — and everyone minds their social p’s and q’s when these former debutantes are on the dais. — Catherine Bigelow, SFChronicle.com, 31 Dec. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'august.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.