august

1 of 2

adjective

: marked by majestic dignity or grandeur
her august lineage
an august mansion
augustly adverb
augustness
ȯ-ˈgəs(t)-nəs How to pronounce august (audio)
ˈȯ-(ˌ)gəs(t)-
noun

August

2 of 2

noun

Au·​gust ˈȯ-gəst How to pronounce August (audio)
: the eighth month of the Gregorian calendar

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
And Julian would get his first publication in a journal from the Royal Society, one of the world’s most august scientific institutions. . Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 30 Oct. 2012 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

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'august.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Latin augustus; akin to Latin augur

Noun

Middle English, from Old English, from Latin Augustus, from Augustus Caesar

First Known Use

Adjective

1581, in the meaning defined above

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of august was before the 12th century

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near august

Cite this Entry

“August.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/august. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

august

1 of 2 adjective
au·​gust ȯ-ˈgəst How to pronounce august (audio)
: being grand and noble : majestic
augustly adverb
augustness noun

August

2 of 2 noun
Au·​gust ˈȯ-gəst How to pronounce August (audio)
: the eighth month of the year
Etymology

Noun

Old English August "the eighth month," from Latin Augustus "August," from Augustus (Caesar)

Word Origin
The first calendar used by the ancient Romans began the year with March. The month that we now call August was then the sixth month of the year and was known by the name Sextilis, a Latin word meaning "sixth." When the emperor Augustus Caesar was in power, however, he wished to have a month named after himself. The Roman senate satisfied him by changing Sextilis to Augustus. The English word August comes from the Latin Augustus.

More from Merriam-Webster on august

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!