尊严概念常用于道德、伦理、法学和政治学学说的讨论中，用以表明人本固有的价值属性和拥有受到他人的尊重的权利。它是启蒙时代-聚焦于探讨人本所固有的不可剥夺权利概念的延伸和扩展，经常以一种警示和劝戒的方式出现：例如，在政治上常用来表示对于刑罚所体现的不平等施虐的反抗和弱势群体寻求平等对待的诉求。但同时它也在扩展自己的应用领域，在文化、亚文化及宗教信仰等观念中得以阐释，甚至是那些供人类食用乃至研究的动植物试验品也拥有尊严可言。此外，尊严更多的意义体现在人类价值的维度，尽管并未就此给予明确一致的定义。总之，尊严概念有着丰富的意蕴，在不同的语境和背景中呈现出不同的功能和内涵。

Moral, ethical, legal, and political discussions use the concept of dignity to express the idea that a being has an innate right to be valued, respected, and to receive ethical treatment. In the modern context dignity can function as an extension of the Enlightenment-era concepts of inherent, inalienable rights. English-speakers often use the word "dignity" in proscriptive and cautionary ways: for example in politics it can be used to critique the treatment of oppressed and vulnerable groups and peoples, but it has also been applied to cultures and sub-cultures, to religious beliefs and ideals, to animals used for food or research, and to plants. "Dignity" also has descriptive meanings pertaining to human worth. In general, the term has various functions and meanings depending on how the term is used and on the context.