prestigious
adjective
-ˈstē-
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
Jordana Comiter, People.com, 6 Apr. 2025
Darryn Peterson on Tuesday night joined a veritable ‘who’s who’ in the basketball world in winning co-MVP honors at the prestigious McDonald’s All-America game at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 3 Apr. 2025
He was named the state’s top player but wasn’t selected for the prestigious McDonald’s high school All-American game despite being the No. 19 recruit in the Class of 2024, per the 247Sports Composite.
—Tim Casey, Forbes.com, 3 Apr. 2025
Friends in college, at VCU, gave him the confidence to try it himself, including training at the prestigious Ohio Valley Wrestling school in Louisville.
—Karri Peifer, Axios, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prestigious
Cite this Entry
“Prestigious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prestigious. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.
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