How to Use valedictory in a Sentence

valedictory

1 of 2 adjective
  • At times, his tone was valedictory.
    — Heidi Blake, New Yorker, 8 June 2026
  • The category has become a two-man contest between DiCaprio in his valedictory role and Mark Wahlberg in a biopic that required a physical transformation.
    — Joe Reid, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2026
  • It’s expected to serve as the 95-year-old investor’s valedictory farewell after more than six decades leading the conglomerate, which began as a struggling New England clothing company.
    — Yun Li, CNBC, 9 Nov. 2025
  • In his almost but not quite valedictory acceptance speech, the 80-year-old Lithgow acknowledged that this Tony win, his third, comes 53 years after his first — and feels every bit as satisfying.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2026
  • In 2017 Ng summarized his vision in a valedictory post on the blogging platform Medium announcing his resignation from the Chinese technology company Baidu.
    — Sue Halpern, The New York Review of Books, 8 Apr. 2021

valedictory

2 of 2 noun
  • He received a very warm valedictory for his long career.
  • Pelosi intends to spend the next two years in valedictory mode.
    — Molly Ball, Time, 18 Nov. 2022
  • And as much as any of Williams’s shots, her aura during this valedictory tour has turned out to be a weapon for her.
    — Joshua Robinson, WSJ, 1 Sep. 2022
  • But that was before the young man gave an affecting valedictory, full of wisdom beyond his years.
    — Dan Rodricks, baltimoresun.com, 4 July 2017
  • The truth is this juggernaut of a series has been in a valedictory mood for some time now, and never more so than on the eve of its return.
    — Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 12 Apr. 2019
  • Sticky Fingers feels like part of a valedictory lap before whatever comes next.
    — Alan Light, WSJ, 20 Oct. 2017
  • There’s a valedictory sadness to these memories, but Tolstaya isn’t the type to pine.
    — Lev Grossman, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2018
  • At the time, few knew that Pelosi was making plans for the 2016 election to be her valedictory.
    — USA Today, 9 Apr. 2021
  • Some of us had maintained hope that a great valedictory role would eventually present itself to an actor who so deserved one.
    — Adam Nayman, The New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2022
  • But for Vonn, there is a heavy element of valedictory to her presence—and performances—here.
    — Tim Layden, SI.com, 21 Feb. 2018
  • Gloriously shot, a mournful valedictory to the passing of an age.
    — John Hopewell, Variety, 16 Sep. 2022
  • His visit to the Bushwick Pool was part of a valedictory tour intended to spruce up his legacy.
    — Hunter Walker, The New Yorker, 19 July 2021
  • Michael Love, who had been paroled from Folsom Prison five months earlier, came back to give the valedictory speech.
    — Aaron Morrison, The Christian Science Monitor, 29 June 2023
  • United, in what would prove to be Ferguson’s final season, cruised to a valedictory title.
    — Rory Smith, New York Times, 19 Jan. 2018
  • That gives it time for at least one more world premiere, an all-Beethoven road show, and a European tour plus an entire valedictory season.
    — Justin Davidson, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2021
  • Unfiltered Titospeak is very much like Shildt’s postgame valedictory.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 13 Oct. 2019
  • Biden also looked back on the last few months with a valedictory for the advances during his first months in office against both the pandemic and unemployment.
    — Chris Megerian, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2021
  • Justice Kennedy’s final opinions on the court had a valedictory quality.
    — Adam Liptak, New York Times, 27 June 2018
  • Uniform in construction, with five three-line stanzas, the poems feel less like a series than like a single valedictory utterance.
    — Sara Lautman, The New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2017
  • Now a team few thought would make it this far is back in the Elite Eight for a second straight season with a chance to spoil Krzyzewski’s valedictory tour.
    — Mark Heim | [email protected], al, 26 Mar. 2022
  • But that shouldn’t suggest the 76-year-old director has acquiesced into the valedictory phase of his creative life.
    — Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 July 2022
  • Two days before Sunday’s equinox, the full moon, beaming through the mist, spoke of a celestial valedictory to winter and a welcome to springtime.
    — Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2022
  • The president has asked aides to explore a possible valedictory trip next week to the southern border as a means to highlight his immigration policies.
    — The Associated Press, NOLA.com, 8 Jan. 2021
  • And so, to provide some relief and release, Obama also put on a series of upbeat valedictory events at the White House.
    — Peter Slevin, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
  • At Tuesday’s briefing, Earnest gave a sentimental valedictory, and Obama dropped in to praise his spokesman.
    — Dana Milbank, The Denver Post, 18 Jan. 2017
  • After nearly 30 years on the air, Conan O’Brien bid farewell on Thursday night with a low-key valedictory lap.
    — Washington Post, 25 June 2021
  • In her valedictory address, the young woman, Biiftu Duresso, credited her success to her parents' hard work and sacrifice.
    — Justin Murphy, USA TODAY, 22 June 2017
  • And even the blockbuster successes, the stories that make the valedictory lap that is GoFundMe’s homepage, are much more complicated than any viral marketer would care to admit.
    — Rachel Monroe, The Atlantic, 9 Oct. 2019
  • But both shows were locked out for their valedictory seasons — a notable development especially for the nighttime soap’s buzzy final year, which featured a fan-favorite performance from Mandy Moore.
    — Inkoo Kang, Washington Post, 12 July 2022
  • The industry-altering deal, which is due to close by September 30 barring an 11th-hour legal challenge, gave the event an undeniably valedictory feel.
    — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 14 May 2026

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

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