“Did I regret not catching a retrospective showing of ‘Little Miss Sunshine,’ in a special valedictory [ˌvæləˈdɪktri] program of Sundance sensations from over the years? Perhaps—though not as much as I regretted missing the screening of Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden’s ‘Half Nelson’ (2006). That’s the title that I remember most fondly from my first year at Sundance ...” — Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 31 Jan. 2026

valedictory
adj [ˌvæləˈdɪktəri] or [ˌvæləˈdɪktri]

Valedictory describes something expressing or containing a farewell.

Since a valedictory speech is given at the end of an academic career, it is perfectly in keeping with the meaning of its Latin ancestor, valedīcere, which means “to say goodbye.”

English