prestigious

adjective

pres·​ti·​gious pre-ˈsti-jəs How to pronounce prestigious (audio) -ˈstē- How to pronounce prestigious (audio)
 also  prə-
1
: having prestige : honored
2
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.
If Cullen marries his daughter, perhaps he’ll be inclined to complete a letter of recommendation that the young man had requested for a prestigious fellowship. Michelle F. Solomon, Miami Herald, 17 Apr. 2025 International students – including at prestigious American universities – have been targeted amid the Trump administration’s larger immigration crackdown. Caroll Alvarado, CNN Money, 17 Apr. 2025 President Trump has long celebrated his familial ties to MIT, a prestigious college that has spared no criticism of the administration's policies in recent weeks. Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 17 Apr. 2025 In 2023, Andoni Luis Aduriz was honored with the Icon Award from this same prestigious list for his contribution and inspiration to global gastronomy. Claudia Alarcón, Forbes.com, 16 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for prestigious

Word History

Etymology

Latin praestigiosus, from praestigiae

First Known Use

1546, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of prestigious was in 1546

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Cite this Entry

“Prestigious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prestigious. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.

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