How to say 'with great praise' in Latin: magna cum laude explained

Magna cum laude: saying it, understanding it, and hearing it in the wild

If you’ve ever seen a diploma, a yearbook, or a university inscription and spotted a short phrase that sounds like a secret code, you’re not alone. Latin phrases still pop up everywhere—on certificates, in mottos, and in scholarly circles where precision matters. One of the most recognizable is magna cum laude. It’s a mouthful that carries weight, history, and a touch of classical elegance. Let me explain what it means, how it’s used, and how it stacks up against a few close friends in the Latin honors family.

What magna cum laude actually means, in plain terms

Here’s the gist: magna cum laude translates to “with great praise.” It’s the standard way people signal a strong, notable achievement. In academic circles, it’s a marker that a person did something truly commendable, and it sits just below the very top tier (summa cum laude) in the hierarchy of honors.

• magna = great or substantial

• cum laude = with praise

Put together, magna cum laude is a compact badge of distinction. If you’ve ever read Latin phrases on diplomas or in scholarly notes, this is the one that often feels the most approachable—because it’s recognizable, but still carries that ancient, ceremonial vibe.

A quick tour of the other options (and why they’re not quite the same)

Multiple-choice questions love tangles, but the real-life usage pattern isn’t that cryptic. Here’s how the common variants shake out.

• A. Magna cum laude — the correct and most common way to say “with great praise.” This phrase is widely used in academic contexts, especially when a student earns a solid, notable honor without hitting the very top tier.

• B. Magnus laus — literally “great praise.” This is a clean, straightforward phrase in Latin, but it’s not the standard way to express “with …” in the honors sense. It feels more like a phrase you might stumble upon in a sentence describing praise that’s already occurred, rather than a formal designation attached to a person.

• C. Summa cum laude — “with highest praise.” If magna cum laude signals strong distinction, sum­ma cum laude sits one notch above, indicating the very highest honors. It’s prestigious—and it’s worth knowing if you ever encounter it on a diploma or in a university bulletin.

• D. Laudabilis magna — “greatly praiseworthy.” This flips the normal order and changes the sense from a titled honor to a description. It’s not a standard way to convey a formal distinction; it reads more like an evaluative comment than an official designation.

In short: magna cum laude is the phrase you’ll most often see used to denote that a student’s work was exemplary—without claiming the absolute top tier, which would be summa cum laude.

How people actually use magna cum laude in writing

Language, especially when it travels across centuries, tends to settle into habits. Magna cum laude lands in a few familiar spots:

• On diplomas and rosters: You’ll see a name followed by magna cum laude, signaling earned distinction. It’s practical, legible, and carries a touch of gravitas.

• In academic bios: When a scholar lists their credentials or achievements, magna cum laude can appear as a compact note of honor, almost like a middle rung of merit.

• In Latin or classical-studies circles: Writers and speakers might lean on magna cum laude as a musical, recognizable credential, even in English-language contexts, because it sounds both formal and approachable.

If you’ve ever taken a stroll through Latin phrase dictionaries (think Lewis and Short or the Perseus Digital Library), you’ll notice that the phrase sits comfortably among other standard “with praise” constructions. It’s not just about the words; it’s about the sense of tradition they carry.

A little grammar for clarity (kept simple)

You don’t need a graduate-level grammar lesson to get magna cum laude. Here’s the gist in a couple of easy lines:

• cum laude means “with praise,” with laude in the ablative case.

• magna is the adjective “great” and behaves like an adverbial modifier in this fixed phrase, warming up the idea of “great” praise.

• The beauty of the phrase is its simplicity: a short, dignified cluster of words that feels both ancient and immediately understandable.

If you’re curious about the details, a reliable Latin reference or a good Latin–English dictionary will walk you through the caseload and agreement. But for everyday usage, the functional sense matters most: magna cum laude = great praise, delivered in a neat, honorary package.

A few practical examples of how the phrase shows up

• A university diploma might read: John Doe magna cum laude.

• In a biographical note: She completed her degree magna cum laude, a testament to consistent hard work.

• In a museum placard or a scholarly inscription: This work was created magna cum laude, reflecting careful study and disciplined craft.

If you ever stumble into inscriptions or Latin epigraphy, you’ll start to hear this phrase as a quiet stamp of quality. It’s not flashy, but it carries a respectable weight—a little banner you can trust in the academic world.

How magna cum laude sits with related phrases

To give you a sense of Latin’s honor ladder, here’s a quick, simple comparison you can keep in mind:

• magna cum laude — with great praise (solid, commendable distinction)

• summa cum laude — with highest praise (the very top tier)

• cum laude — with praise (a more general marker, often used in combinations like “magna cum laude” but sometimes truncates the formal tone)

There are other Latin honor phrases you’ll bump into, too, each with its own flavor. The key is to notice how “cum laude” behaves as a fixed partner—the little Latin preposition that turns praise into a ceremonial achievement rather than a raw adjective.

Why this phrase matters beyond the page

You might wonder, does this matter if I’m not chasing a diploma or a Latin shield? Absolutely. Latin phrases like magna cum laude pop up in law reviews, philosophy papers, and even nonprofit organizations that want to evoke tradition without assuming a heavy tone. They’re handy shorthand for “a job well done” in contexts where nuance matters and you want to signal seriousness without slapping on modern jargon.

If you’re learning Latin or studying for a Certamen-inspired world of words, here are a few tips to keep the concept fresh:

• Listen for the rhythm: magna cum laude has a polite cadence that feels almost ceremonial. When you read aloud, you’ll hear a natural balance between the two words and the prepositional phrase that follows.

• Pair it with a mental image: imagine a scroll, a diploma, or a marble plaque bearing the words. The imagery helps anchor the phrase in memory.

• Compare with other languages you know: many languages borrow Latin roots for academic honors. Noticing the shared patterns helps retention without getting tangled in grammar.

Where to look next (resources you can actually use)

If you want to deepen your understanding without drowning in pages, check out a few practical resources:

• A reputable Latin dictionary or glossary (like Lewis and Short or a trusted online Latin dictionary) for quick phrase breakdowns.

• The Perseus Digital Library for authentic Latin texts where phrases like magna cum laude appear in real context.

• University glossaries or Latin phrase lists in classics or humanities departments—those often explain common honors phrases in plain language.

• Short Latin guides or phrasebooks that cover common epigraphic and diploma language. They’re handy when you’re scanning inscriptions or reading scholarly notes.

A final thought: the evergreen charm of Latin

Latin isn’t just a dusty relic. It’s a toolkit for precise expression, a bridge to centuries of intellectual culture, and, yes, a way to add a touch of ceremony to everyday life. Magna cum laude is a perfect example: a compact phrase that travels well, sounds dignified, and communicates a clear idea without shouting.

So next time you come across magna cum laude, you’ll know exactly what it’s saying—and you’ll hear a bit of history in those four words. It’s small, it’s tidy, and it’s surprisingly expressive for something so old. And if you’re ever tempted to explore more Latin expressions, start with the familiar, then let your curiosity wander to the edge of the phrasebook. You’ll find that Latin has a knack for quietly enriching modern writing, one well-chosen word at a time.