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

These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

The breakout duo also performed for the first time on NHK’s Kohaku Uta Gassen, the prestigious annual New Year’s Eve live music extravaganza. —

Billboard Japan, Billboard, 25 Oct. 2024 Just this week, Lesh and the Dead’s other founders were announced as the 2025 recipients of the Recording Academy’s prestigious MusiCares Persons of the Year award in recognition of the band’s philanthropy and cultural impact. —

Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2024 The Freedom Award Student Forum gave high school students the chance to speak with the iconic trio only hours before they are presented with the prestigious Freedom Award by the National Civil Rights Museum. —

Ken Makin, The Christian Science Monitor, 25 Oct. 2024 This year, the prestigious Prince Rainier III Award was given to two-time Academy Award winner Michael Douglas in recognition of his charitable contributions and commitment to the arts. —

Janine Henni, People.com, 25 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for prestigious