prestigious

adjective

pres·ti·gious pre-ˈsti-jəs

-ˈstē-

also prə-

Synonyms of prestigious next

: having prestige : honored

archaic : of, relating to, or marked by illusion, conjuring, or trickery

prestigiously adverb

prestigiousness noun

Did you know?

You might expect, based on how adjectives are often formed in English, that today’s word is an extension of the noun prestige. However, although both words share the same Latin root, they entered English by different routes and at different times. Moreover, both adjective and noun once had more to do with trickery than respect when they were first used. Prestigious came directly from the Latin adjective praestigiosis, meaning “full of tricks” or “deceitful,” and had a similar meaning upon entering English in the mid-16th century. Praestigiosis in turn came from the plural noun praestigiae, meaning “conjurer’s tricks.” This noun also gave English the word prestige, though it first passed through French and arrived a century after prestigious. Though it wasn’t first on the block, prestige influenced prestigious in a different way, by eventually developing an extended sense of “standing or esteem.” That change spurred a similar development in prestigious, which now means simply “illustrious or esteemed.”

Examples of prestigious in a Sentence

a nutritional study that has been published by a prestigious medical journal the most prestigious social club in town

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

One of the best parts of my job as Axios' transportation correspondent is evaluating the latest cars and trucks for this prestigious award. —

Joann Muller, Axios, 10 Jan. 2025 Four Milwaukee teenagers are celebrating after getting into the college of their dreams despite the prestigious school only having a 25% acceptance rate. —

Becca Longmire, People.com, 10 Jan. 2025 Among the highlights of the evening will be the presentation of the prestigious Life Achievement Award to Jane Fonda. —

Okla Jones, Essence, 8 Jan. 2025 These vodkas represent some of the finest in the world, having won the coveted Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and multiple other gold medals from prestigious international competitions. —

Joseph V Micallef, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for prestigious