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Style (form of address)

Official or legally recognized title for a person or entity

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The second-person (singular and plural) possessive adjective your is used as a form of address (that is, when speaking directly to the person[s] entitled to the style[s]); the third-person possessive adjectives his/her (singular) and their (plural) are used as forms of reference (that is, when speaking about the person[s] entitled to the style[s]).

Examples

Academia

Traditional forms of address at German-speaking universities:

  • His/Her Magnificence – rector (president) of a university
  • His/Her Notability (Seine Spektabilität; Professors have the privilege to use the Latin Spectabilis) – dean of a faculty

Traditional forms of address at Dutch-speaking universities:

  • His/Her Great Honour (Edelgrootachtbare heer/vrouwe) – rector magnificus (president) of a university
  • Highly Learned Sir/Madam (Hooggeleerde heer/vrouwe) – professor or dean of a faculty
  • Well (Noble) Very Learned Sir/Madam (Weledelzeergeleerde heer/vrouwe) – a doctor
  • Well (Noble) Learned Sir/Madam (De weledelgeleerde heer/vrouwe) – a doctorandus
  • Well (Noble) Strictly Sir/Madam (De weledelgestrenge heer/vrouwe) – a master in laws (meester in de rechten) or a university engineer (ingenieur)

Traditional forms of address at Italian-speaking universities:

  • Magnificent Rector (magnifico rettore) – rector (president, chancellor) of a university
  • Amplified Headmaster (amplissimo preside) – dean of a faculty (now uncommon)
  • Illustrious/Enlightened Professor (chiarissimo professore) – a full professor

Government

Diplomats

  • His Most Reverend Excellency (abbreviation His Most Rev. Ex., oral address Your Excellency) – apostolic nuncios, because their rank is equal to that of an ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary, and they are simultaneously higher prelates.
  • His/Her Excellency (abbreviation HE, oral address Your Excellency) – most ambassadors, high commissioners and permanent representatives to international organizations. Occasionally a different form of address is used domestically with the international equivalent of Excellency being used in all other cases.

Judiciaries

  • His/Her Honour Judge X
    • Abbreviation HHJ X, oral address Your Honour – Circuit judges in England and Wales.
    • The Honourable Mr./Ms. Justice X (abbreviation X J, referential His Lordship/Her Ladyship; oral address My Lord/Lady or Your Lordship/Your Ladyship) – Judges of the High Court of Justice of England and Wales.
    • My Lord/Your Lordship is used to address judiciary representatives in India.
    • The Honorable (abbreviation The Hon., oral address Your Honor) – Judges and justices in the United States.
    • Oral address Your Honour – All courts in Australia.
    • The Right Honourable Lord/Lady Justice X (abbreviation X LJ) – Judges of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales.
  • Oral address Your Excellency – Judges of the International Court of Justice.
  • Oral address Your Worship – All courts in Australia (obsolete).
  • The Lord/Lady/Baroness X (abbreviated to Lord/Lady/Baroness X, referred to as His Lordship/Her Ladyship, addressed orally as My Lord/My Lady) – Judges in the High Court of Justiciary and the Court of Session in Scotland, and the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom.
  • Oral address Your Worship – Justices of the peace (magistrates) in the United Kingdom, usually by solicitors.

Monarchies

  • Sire (oral address first Your Majesty and then Sire; for a queen first Your Majesty and then Ma'am) – Reigning kings in the United Kingdom and in Belgium. It has also been used in France, Italy, Germany, Portugal, Sweden and Spain.
  • His/Her Imperial Majesty (abbreviation HIM, oral address Your Imperial Majesty) – Emperors and empresses. Formerly, for example, HIM the Shah of Iran. In modern times, the Emperor of Japan more often uses the simpler style of "Majesty".
  • His/Her Imperial and Royal Majesty (abbreviation HI&RM, oral address Your Imperial and Royal Majesty) – until 1918, the rulers of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, who were Emperors/Empresses of Austria while also Kings/Queens of Hungary and Bohemia, and the German emperors/empresses, who were simultaneously Kings/Queens of Prussia.
  • His/Her Apostolic Majesty (abbreviation HAM, oral address Your Apostolic Majesty) – the King of Hungary, usually styled Imperial Majesty or Imperial and Royal Majesty as Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary, also sometimes Imperial and Royal Apostolic Majesty.
  • His/Her Britannic Majesty – the British monarch (not usual); used as a formal and official term in diplomacy, international law, and international relations, e.g. in British passports.
  • His/Her Most Gracious Majesty – an elaborate version of His/Her Majesty in the United Kingdom, only used in the most formal of occasions.
  • His/Her Most Excellent Majesty – another elaborate version of His/Her Majesty in the United Kingdom, mainly used in Acts of Parliament.
  • His/Her Catholic Majesty (abbreviation HCM, oral address Your Catholic Majesty) – the Spanish monarch (not usual).
  • His Most Christian Majesty – the King of France until 1790 and from 1815 to 1830.
  • His/Her Most Faithful Majesty (abbreviation HFM, oral address Your Faithful Majesty) – the King of Portugal until deposed in 1910.
  • His/Her Majesty (abbreviation HM, oral address Your Majesty) – kings, queens and some sultans. For example, HM King Charles III, HM King Mohammed VI or HM King Willem-Alexander.
  • His/Her Imperial Highness (abbreviation HIH, oral address Your Imperial Highness) – members of an imperial house. Currently used by the Imperial House of Japan.
  • His/Her Imperial and Royal Highness (abbreviation HI&RH, oral address Your Imperial and Royal Highness) – formerly, archdukes of the House of Habsburg, the German crown prince/princess and (post-monarchy) members of the deposed Brazilian Imperial Family; also some women entitled to imperial style by birth and to royal style by marriage (e.g., Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia, Duchess of Edinburgh).
  • His/Her Royal Highness (abbreviation HRH, oral address Your Royal Highness) – some monarchs, members of a royal family (other than monarchs, queens consort and queens dowager); grand dukes/duchesses who have reigned (but not those grand dukes who were cadets of the former Russian Imperial Family), consorts of grand dukes, grand ducal heirs apparent and, in Luxembourg, all dynastic male-line cadets; British princes, their dynastic wives (including the prince consort of queens Victoria and Elizabeth II), sons, daughters, patrilineal grandsons and granddaughters of Ibn Saud of the House of Saud.
  • His/Her Grace (oral address Your Grace) is a style used for various high-ranking personages. It was the style used to address Kings of England until King Henry VIII and the King or Queen of Scots up to the Act of Union of 1707, which united the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England. Today, the style is used when referring to non-royal dukes and duchesses, and archbishops, in the United Kingdom. For example, His Grace The Duke of Devonshire in the United Kingdom, or His Grace The Archbishop of Canterbury; or Your Grace in spoken or written address. Royal dukes, for example the Duke of Edinburgh, are addressed with their higher royal style, Royal Highness.
  • His/Her Grand Ducal Highness (abbreviation HGDH, oral address Your Grand Ducal Highness) – cadets of some former ruling grand ducal dynasties (Hesse and by Rhine and Baden).
  • His/Her Highness (abbreviation HH, oral address, Your Highness) – some monarchs, i.e., emirs, some sultans, the Aga Khan; formerly reigning dukes, some maharajas and rajas and the members of their dynasties; cadets of most former grand ducal houses; male-line grandchildren and remoter male-line descendants of some kingly dynasties (i.e., Denmark and formerly Brazil, Italy, Japan, UK, Yugoslavia); Belgium's House of Ligne; members of France's former Foreign Princely class, members of cadet branches of the House of Saud.
  • His/Her Ducal Serene Highness (abbreviation HDSH, oral address, Your Ducal Serene Highness) – members of the formerly reigning ducal House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
  • His/Her Serene Highness (abbreviation HSH, oral address Your Serene Highness) – German: Seine/Ihre Durchlaucht; Italian: Sua Altezza Serenissima; Russian: Ваша светлость. Sovereigns of a principality (i.e., Liechtenstein, Monaco); members of formerly reigning princely families (Lippe, Schaumburg-Lippe, Waldeck and Pyrmont and Schwarzburg); members of mediatized families headed by a Fürst ("prince"); members of several formerly noble, princely families of Austria, Germany, Bohemia, Hungary and Poland; morganatic princes, descended from reigning dynasties; and a few formerly noble families granted the princely title in Imperial Russia (the style is more literally translated "His/Her Serenity").
  • Her/His Most Serene Highness (abbreviation HMSH, oral address, Your Most Serene Highness) – Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire.
  • His/Her Illustrious Highness (abbreviation HIllH, oral address Your Illustrious Highness, German: Seine/Ihre Erlaucht); Italian: Sua Altezza Illustrissima; Spanish: Su Ilustrísima; Russian: Ваше сиятельство. Mediatized counts and, sometimes, members of their families.
  • His/Her Princely Grace (Fürstliche Gnaden) – former style for members of a few noble families of monarchical Germany.
  • The High-born (Hochgeboren) – counts in some Scandinavian and Benelux monarchies and, formerly, Germany and Austria.
  • The High Well-born (Hochwohlgeboren) – Dutch barons; knights and untitled members of the lower nobility in German-speaking monarchies.
  • His/Her Excellency (abbreviation HE, oral address Your Excellency) – governors-general, British colonial governors, state officials, and generals of Imperial Russia. Occasionally, prime ministers and cabinet ministers. For example, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands; in Denmark, a few high-ranked nobles (e.g., Counts af Danneskiold-Samsø, Counts of Rosenborg, Lensgrever, knights of the Order of the Elephant).
  • Don (Spanish: , Italian: , Portuguese: Dom ) from Latin: dominus, lit. 'Lord', is an honorific title used in Spain, Portugal, Italy, Iberoamerica and the Philippines. The female equivalent is doña (Spanish: ), donna (Italian: ), and dona (Portuguese: ), abbreviated "Dª" or simply "D." In formal settings, it is a title reserved for royalty, select nobles, knights, dames, and church hierarchs. Informally, it is sometimes used as a mark of esteem for a person of personal, social or official distinction, such as a community leader of long standing, or a person of significant wealth. Like the British Sir, it is used with, and not instead of, a person's name.
  • In Portugal and Brazil, Dom (pronounced ) is used for certain hierarchs of the Catholic Church and for laymen who belong to the royal and imperial families (for example, the House of Aviz in Portugal and the House of Braganza in Portugal and Brazil). It was also accorded to members of families of the titled Portuguese nobility. Unless ennobling letters patent specifically authorised its use, Dom was not attributed to members of Portugal's untitled nobility. Since hereditary titles in Portugal descended according to primogeniture, the right to the style of Dom was the only apparent distinction between cadets of titled families and members of untitled noble families.
  • Most High, Mighty, and Illustrious Prince – for royal dukes, oral address Your Royal Highness.
  • Son of Heaven – used by Chinese and some Japanese emperors.
  • High King
  • Great King
  • King of Kings – used by especially Semitic, Persian and some Indian rulers.
  • "Taewang" "Greatest of Kings" – used by the later rulers of the Korean kingdom of Koguryo.
  • Lord of the Isles – used by an heir apparent of the British monarchy.
  • High Steward of Scotland – used by an heir apparent of the British monarchy.
  • Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques (abbreviation CTHM) (Arabic: خادم الحرمين الشريفين Khādim al-Ḥaramayn aš-Šarīfayn), sometimes translated as Servant of the Two Noble Sanctuaries or Protector of the Two Holy Cities, is a royal style that has been used by many Islamic rulers including the Ayyubids, the Mamluk Sultans of Egypt, the Ottoman Sultans, and the modern Saudi kings. The title refers to the ruler taking the responsibility of guarding and maintaining the two holiest mosques in Islam, Al-Masjid al-Haram (the Sacred Mosque) in Mecca and Al-Masjid an-Nabawi (the Prophet's Mosque) in Medina. In Saudi Arabia, it is used as the official title of the king, in place of "His Majesty".
  • Amīr al-Mu'minīn (Arabic: أمير المؤمنين), usually translated Commander of the Faithful or Leader of the Faithful, is the Arabic style of some Caliphs and other independent sovereign Muslim rulers that claim legitimacy from a community of Muslims. It has been claimed as the title of rulers in Muslim countries and empires and is still used for some Muslim leaders. The use of the title does not necessarily signify a claim to caliphate as it is usually taken to be, but described a certain form of activist leadership which may have been attached to a caliph but also could signify a level of authority beneath that. The Ottoman sultans, in particular, made scant use of it. Moreover, the term was used by men who made no claim to be caliphs. Used by the former leader of ISIS Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the Ahmadiyya Muslim leader Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the King of Morocco, the Sultan of Sokoto, and the supreme leaders of the Afghan Taliban.
  • Kabiyesi (variously translated as His or Her Royal Majesty, His or Her Royal Highness or His or Her Highness, lit. The One whose words are beyond question) – used by the Obas of Yorubaland, other aboriginal Yoruba high chiefs of royal background, and their counterparts in the tribe's diaspora communities.

Styles and titles of deposed monarchs

General tradition indicates that monarchs who have ceased to reign but not renounced their hereditary titles, retain the use of their style and title for the duration of their lifetimes, but both die with them. Hence, prior to his death, Greece's deposed king was still styled His Majesty King Constantine II, as a personal title, not as occupant of a constitutional office, since the abolition of the monarchy by the Hellenic Republic in 1974. Similarly, until his death, the last King of Italy, Umberto II, was widely referred to as King Umberto II and sometimes addressed as Your Majesty. In contrast, Simeon of Bulgaria who, subsequent to the loss of his throne in 1947, was elected to and held the premiership of his former realm as "Simeon Sakskoburggotski", and therefore is as often referred to by the latter name as by his former royal title and style.

While this rule is generally observed, and indeed some exiled monarchs are allowed diplomatic passports by their former realm, other republics officially object to the use of such titles which are, nonetheless, generally accorded by extant monarchical regimes. In 1981, the then Greek President Konstantinos Karamanlis declined to attend the wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales when it was revealed that Greece's deposed monarch, a cousin of the Prince, had been referred to as "King" in his invitation. The current Hellenic Republic challenged King Constantine's right to use his title, and his passport was revoked in 1994, because he did not use a surname, as his passport at the time stated "Constantine, former King of the Hellenes". However, Constantine II later travelled in and out of Greece on a Danish diplomatic passport as a descendant of Christian IX of Denmark, by the name Constantino de Grecia (Spanish for "Constantine of Greece").

Republics

  • His/Her Excellency (abbreviation HE, oral address Your Excellency) – Presidents of republics (historically, this was first used to refer to George Washington during his tenure as Commander-in-Chief of the Army during the American War of Independence; its use for presidents of republics was established as he was the first president of the first modern republic). In some countries also the prime minister, ministers, governors, ambassadors and high commissioners also use this style.
  • The president of the United States is properly directly addressed as "Mr./Mrs./Ms./Miss./Sir/Madam President" and introduced as "The President of the United States"; however, His/Her/Your Excellency may properly be used in written communications and is sometimes used in official documents.
  • The custom in France is to call office holders acting within their official capacity M. (Monsieur) or Mme (Madame) followed by the name of their offices. Thus, the president of the republic is called M. le président or M. le président de la République if male, and Mme... if female. Styles such as "excellency" or similar are not used, except for talking about foreign dignitaries. Traditionally after "Madame", the name of the office is not put into the feminine form, but this is becoming less common (hence, "Madame le président" is being replaced by "Madame la présidente").
  • In Italy, members of the lower house (Chamber of Deputies) of the Parliament of Italy are styled Honourable (Italian: Onorevole, abbreviation On.). The correct form to address a member of the upper house (Senate) is Senator (Italian: Senatore, abbreviation Sen.; even though, for gravitas, they may also be addressed Honourable Senator).
  • The incumbent president of Finland is addressed Herra/Rouva Tasavallan Presidentti (Mr./Ms. President of the Republic), while a former president is addressed as just Herra/Rouva Presidentti.
  • The style used for the president of Ireland is normally His Excellency/Her Excellency (Irish: A Shoilse/A Soilse); sometimes people may orally address the president as 'Your Excellency' (Irish: A Shoilse [ə ˈhəʎʃə]), or simply 'President' (Irish: A Uachtaráin [ə ˈuəxt̪ˠəɾˠaːnˠ] (vocative case)).
  • During the Republic of the United Netherlands, the States-General were collectively addressed as "Their High and Mighty Lords" (Dutch: Hoogmogende Heren).
  • The Honourable – Presidents, prime ministers, ministers, governors, members of parliament, senate and congress in some countries. (Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, India, Hong Kong, Singapore, Sri Lanka.)

Medicine

  • Doctor – In the United Kingdom, university degrees required for initial medical and dental professional registration are all bachelor's degrees (commonly MBBS, but also MB, BDS, MB BS BAO, BMed, etc.). This system is followed in other countries (often Commonwealth countries) that adhere to the United Kingdom's higher education tradition. Such graduates are addressed as "doctor" by courtesy and convention.
  • Mr, Miss, Ms, or Mrs – Surgeons in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and other Commonwealth or former Commonwealth nations revert to the title Mr, Miss, Ms or Mrs after obtaining the postgraduate qualification MRCS. Other specialist doctors ("physicians" in the sense of specialists in different areas of internal medicine, as used generally outside North America), on the other hand, retain the title Dr after obtaining other postgraduate qualifications, such as MRCP. Medical practitioners who are both "physicians and surgeons" are called either Dr or Mr, Ms, etc. and the style used at any specific time may be varied according to the context.

Nautical and aeronautical

  • Captain – a person who commands and is responsible for the lives of crew and passengers on a naval or civil vessel or aircraft. In the anglophone navies, captain is usually used regardless of the actual rank of the person being addressed. For example, on a naval vessel commanded by someone holding a rank of lieutenant commander or lower is addressed as "Captain", in reference to their position in command of the ship, not their military rank. This would apply even to an enlisted man in charge of a small boat in some navies, whereas in others the title would be coxswain.

Religious

  • His Holiness (abbreviation HH), oral address Your Holiness, or Holy Father – the Pope and the Pope Emeritus (but Holy Father is not used for the latter); also the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Patriarch of Peć and the Serbs, Catholicos of All Armenians, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Catholicos of the Holy See of Cilicia of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Malankara Orthodox Catholicos and some other patriarchs of the Christian Church, as well as the Dalai Lama, the Panchen Lama, the Karmapa, the Sakya Trizin, and other holders of certain other Tibetan Buddhist lineages.
  • His All Holiness (abbreviation HAH), oral address Your All Holiness – the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.
  • His Highness the Aga Khan (abbreviation HH the Aga Khan.), oral address Your Highness and then Sir – The Imam (spiritual leader) of the Shia Ismaili Muslims.
  • His Beatitude or The Most Blessed, oral address Your Beatitude – Eastern Orthodox, Syriac Orthodox Catholicos of India, Oriental Orthodox and Catholic patriarchs, Macedonian Orthodox Church and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Major Archbishop of Kyiv-Halych. If they have been elevated to the cardinalate by the Pope, they use the traditional "His Eminence" like other cardinals (more properly and formally, "His Beatitude and Eminence").
  • His Most Eminent Royal Highness (abbreviation HMERH), oral address Your Most Eminent Royal Highness – The Lord of the Rasulid Order.
  • His Most Eminent Highness (abbreviation HMEH), oral address Your Most Eminent Highness – The Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.
  • His Eminence (abbreviation "H.Em."), oral address Your Eminence or Most Reverend Eminence – Catholic cardinals
  • His Eminence (abbreviation "H.Em.") or The Most Reverend (abbreviation The Most Rev.), oral address Your Eminence – Eastern Orthodox metropolitans and archbishops who are not the first hierarch of an autocephalous church;
  • His Eminence (abbreviation "H.Em.") – Certain high lamas or rinpoches in Tibetan Buddhism as well as presiding head bishops or priests of Japanese Buddhist schools.
  • His Eminence (abbreviation "H.Em.") – The Sultan of Sokoto, spiritual leader of Nigeria's Muslims, as well as those of his fellow Fula high chiefs that choose not to style themselves as HRHs.
  • His Eminence (abbreviation "H.Em.") – The Grand Master of the Murjite Order.
  • His Excellency or The Most Reverend (abbreviation The Most Rev.), oral address Your Excellency – Catholic archbishops and bishops in the United States and Canada (the oral address is not recognized by Canadian civil authorities, who prescribe Archbishop/Bishop instead); or,
  • His Grace or The Most Reverend (abbreviation The Most Rev.), oral address Your Grace – Catholic archbishops in Commonwealth countries except Canada; Catholic bishops in Ireland; and Mar Thoma Metropolitans
  • His Grace or The Right Reverend (abbreviation The Rt. Rev.), oral address Your Grace – Eastern Orthodox bishops.
  • Kabiyesi (variously translated as His or Her Royal Majesty, His or Her Royal Highness or His or Her Highness, lit. The One whose words are beyond question) – The Obas of Yorubaland, other aboriginal Yoruba high chiefs of royal background, and their counterparts in the tribe's diaspora communities.
  • His Lordship or The Right Reverend (abbreviation The Rt. Rev.), oral address My Lord – Anglican and Catholic bishops in Commonwealth countries other than Canada.
  • The Most Reverend and Right Honourable (abbreviation The Most Rev. and Rt. Hon.), oral address Your Grace – Church of England (Anglican) archbishops who are privy counsellors, usually the Archbishops of Canterbury and York
  • The Most Reverend (abbreviation The Most Rev.), oral address Your Grace – Anglican archbishops, primates, metropolitans and presiding bishops. Canadian Anglican (arch)bishops are orally addressed simply as Archbishop/Bishop. Also moderators.
  • The Most Reverend (abbreviation The Most Rev.), oral address My Lord – Church of Ireland (Anglican) Bishop of Meath and Kildare (due to being, historically, the most senior bishop in Ireland)
  • The Most Reverend (abbreviation The Most Rev.), oral address Presiding Bishop – the Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church Ghana
  • The Most Reverend (abbreviation The Most Rev.), oral address Bishop – the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States
  • The Right Reverend and Right Honourable Monsignor (abbreviation The Rt. Rev. and Rt.mHon. Mgr.), oral address Monsignor, or according to personal preference – Prelate of Honour who is also a privy counsellor (The Right Reverend and Right Honourable Monsignor Graham Leonard KCVO).
  • The Right Reverend and Right Honourable (abbreviation The Rt. Rev. and Rt. Hon.), oral address Bishop or My Lord (old-fashioned) – Church of England (Anglican) bishops who are members of the Privy Council, usually the Bishop of London.
  • The Right Reverend (abbreviation The Rt. Rev.), oral address Bishop or My Lord (old-fashioned) – other Church of England bishops
  • The Right Reverend (abbreviation The Rt. Rev.), oral address Bishop – bishops Episcopal Church (United States)
  • The Right Reverend (abbreviation The Rt. Rev.), oral address Mr./Mrs./Ms./Miss (surname) – Moderator of the United Church of Canada or of the Presbyterian Church in Canada, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
  • The Right Reverend Father (abbreviation The Rt. Rev. Fr.), oral address Father – Eastern Orthodox archimandrites.
  • The Right Reverend (abbreviation The Rt. Rev.), oral address Father or Father Abbot – Catholic abbots.
  • The Right Reverend (abbreviation The Rt Rev.), oral address Bishop – diocesan bishop of the Methodist Church Ghana
  • Bishop, oral address Bishop – an area bishop in the United Methodist Church. The Right Reverend has never been pervasive in the United Methodist Church.
  • The Very Reverend (abbreviation The Very Rev. ), oral address Father – Catholic vicars general, judicial vicars, judges, rectors of seminaries, vicars forane, episcopal vicars, general superiors of religious orders of priests, provincial superiors, priors of monasteries or friaries
  • The Very Reverend Father (abbreviation The Very Rev. Fr.), oral address Father – Eastern Orthodox archpriests
  • The Very Reverend (abbreviation The Very Rev.), oral address Mr./Madam Dean or Mr./Madam Provost, as appropriate, or Very Reverend Sir/Madam – Anglican deans and provosts of cathedrals, the deans of Westminster Abbey and St George's Chapel, Windsor, and, for historical reasons, a few parish priests, such as the Dean of Bocking. Sometimes an Anglican cathedral dean has previously been a bishop, in which case he or she is styled as a bishop, but on formal occasions may be addressed Mr./Madam Dean. Canadian deans are orally addressed as Dean only.
  • The Very Reverend (abbreviation The Very Rev.), oral address Very Reverend Sir/Madam or Mr./Madam Dean – Deans of some Anglican seminaries, especially those in the United States
  • The Very Reverend (abbreviation The Very Rev.), oral address Osofo Panin – Superintendent minister in the Methodist Church Ghana
  • The Very Reverend (abbreviation The Very Rev.), oral address Reverend – former moderators of the United Church of Canada and of the Presbyterian Church in Canada; the Canadian government prescribes the oral address Mr./Mrs./Ms. (surname)
  • The Reverend Monsignor (abbreviation The Rev. Msgr.), oral address Monsignor – Catholic Church protonotaries apostolic, honorary prelates, chaplains of his holiness
  • The Venerable, oral address Venerable Sir/Madam or Mr./Madam Archdeacon – Anglican archdeacons; in Canada, they are orally addressed as Archdeacon only
  • Venerable (abbreviation "Ven."), oral address "Venerable" or "Venerable <name or title>" – fully ordained Buddhist monks and nuns, the title of Venerable Master or Most Venerable is sometimes appended for senior monks and nuns or monks/nuns acting in their capacity as an abbot/abbess of a monastery
  • The Reverend and Right Honourable (abbreviation The Revd. and Rt. Hon.) – Protestant ordained ministers who are members of the Privy Council (e.g. the late Ian Paisley)
  • The Reverend the Honourable (abbreviation The Rev. the Hon.), oral address according to ecclesiastical or other status – ordained son of an earl, viscount, or baron, or ordained daughter of a viscount or baron (unless also a privy counsellor or peer)
  • The Very Reverend (abbreviation "The Very Rev."), oral address: "Overseer" – in the Anglican-Apostolic Communion (Pentecostal) tradition, the overseer is the lowest level of prelate (only non–consecrated bishop prelate), with oversight to a specific work or department, directly responsible to the primate/presiding bishop or an ordinary/diocesan bishop.
  • The Reverend (abbreviation The Rev. or The Rev'd) – Protestant and Anglican ordained ministers (common variants include Pastor, Parson, Vicar, or simply Reverend (Rev.), as used in American English; see: The Reverend); some Jewish cantors also use this style, almost all Buddhist ministers in Japan use this style
  • The Reverend Canon (abbreviation The Rev. Canon), oral address Canon – Catholic and Anglican canons
  • The Reverend Doctor (abbreviation The Rev. Dr.), oral address Father or Doctor – Priests and other ordained clergy with a doctorate
  • The Reverend Father (abbreviation The Rev. Fr.), oral address Father – Catholic (and many Anglican) priests
  • The Reverend Mother (abbreviation The Rev. Mo.), oral address Mother – Abbesses (also, some female Anglican priests {abbreviated Mthr.})
  • The Reverend Deacon (abbreviation Rev. Deacon), oral address Deacon Catholic permanent Deacons.
  • The Reverend Mister (abbreviation The Rev. Mr.), oral address Deacon – Catholic transitional deacons, i.e. those preparing for priesthood. Transitional deacons belonging to religious orders (monastic and non-monastic) are titled Reverend Brother, (similar situations and modifications apply to Anglican deacons as in The Rev. Fr./Mthr., above; since women can be deacons, these may be The Revd Ms.)
  • Mother, oral address Mother – heads of some female Catholic religious convents and other communities who are not abbesses
  • Mister (abbreviation Mr.), oral address Mister – Catholic Sulpician priests
  • Mister (abbreviation Mr.), oral address often Mister – Catholic seminarians and scholastics (members preparing for priesthood) of some religious orders (notably, Jesuits).
  • Father (pater)
  • Brother (abbreviation Bro.), oral address Brother – Catholic members of religious orders under vows (both monastic and non-monastic) who are not priests.
  • Sister (abbreviation Sr.), oral address Sister – Catholic members of religious orders under vows (both monastic and non-monastic) who are not abbesses.
  • Elder: used generally for male missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and for members of the adult leadership known as the general authorities. Although most all male adults of the LDS church are elders, the title is reserved for the prior mentioned groups.
  • Grand Rabbi, oral address Rabbi – Hasidic rabbis, who are scions of a Hasidic Dynasty.
  • Dom is an honorific prefixed to the given name. It derives from the Latin dominus. It is used in English for certain Benedictine (including some communities which follow the Rule of St. Benedict) and Carthusian monks, and for members of certain communities of Canons Regular. Examples include Benedictine monks of the English Benedictine Congregation (e.g. Dom John Chapman, late Abbot of Downside). The equivalent female usage for such a monastic is "Dame" (e.g. Dame Laurentia McLachlan, late Abbess of Stanbrook, or Dame Felicitas Corrigan, author).
    • Dom has historically been used on occasions in French, as an honorific for Benedictine monks, such as the famous Dom Pérignon.
  • Rabbi, oral address Rabbi (or, if holder of the appropriate degree, Doctor both in oral and written communication) – rabbis
  • Grand Ayatullah, oral address Ayatullah or Ayatullah al-Uzma – Shia Ayatullahs, who have accomplished the highest religious jurisprudent knowledge degree called as marja' and some people officially follow them.
  • Ayatullah, oral address Ayatullah – Shia religious degree who has accomplished a religious high course of lessons and is capable of individually issuing religious verdicts.
  • Seghatoleslam, is an honorific title within the Twelver Shia clergy. Seghatoleslam designates narrators whose justice and trustworthiness have been explicitly verified.
  • Amīr al-Mu'minīn (Arabic: أمير المؤمنين), usually translated Commander of the Faithful or Leader of the Faithful, is the Arabic style of some Caliphs and other independent sovereign Muslim rulers that claim legitimacy from a community of Muslims. It has been claimed as the title of rulers in Muslim countries and empires and is still used for some Muslim leaders. The use of the title does not necessarily signify a claim to caliphate as it is usually taken to be, but described a certain form of activist leadership which may have been attached to a caliph but also could signify a level of authority beneath that. The Ottoman sultans, in particular, made scant use of it. Moreover, the term was used by men who made no claim to be caliphs. Currently used by the Caliph of ISIS Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, The Ahmadiyya Muslim Caliph, Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the King of Morocco, The Sultan of Sokoto, The supreme leaders of the Afghan Taliban.
  • Cantor, oral address Cantor (some cantors use The Reverend as style, as above) – Jewish cantors
  • Reverend, oral address Reverend, Mister or Brother – ordained ministers/pastors
  • Pastor (abbreviation "Pr."), oral address 'Pastor" – minister responsible for caring for the "flock" in Lutheran churches
  • Pandit (sometimes spelled Pundit) – Hindu priests
  • Swami – in Hinduism an ascetic or yogi who has been initiated into a religious monastic order. Informally, "Swamiji".
  • Officers of The Salvation Army are addressed by their rank, e.g. "Captain" (Capt.), "Major" (Maj.), etc.
  • A wide variety of titles for Neo-pagan religions; Lord/Lady, Father/Mother, and High Priest/Priestess are common

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