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.”
Synonyms
Examples of prestigious in a Sentence
Byjane Swift, Fortune, 19 Apr. 2024
By this standard, virtually every socioeconomically disadvantaged kid admitted to one of these prestigious, highly endowed colleges is a success.
—Evan Mandery, TIME, 18 Apr. 2024
Considered by some to be an ambitious, rising star in the gallery world, Philbrick got his start as an intern at London’s prestigious White Cube gallery and worked his way up to their head of secondary-market sales, The New York Times reported.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 18 Apr. 2024
The food activist, who's in his 70s, already has shelves full of prestigious awards honoring his efforts to preserve the seeds of endangered crop varieties around the globe.
—Dan Charles, NPR, 18 Apr. 2024
In a remarkable industry achievement, The Exterior Company, Inc. (TEC), has been honored with the prestigious 2024 Owens Corning Product Excellence Award.
—Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2024
In 2022, Arizona chefs took home prestigious, national recognition at the James Beard Awards when Chris Bianco was named the best restaurateur in the country and Don Guerra of Barrio Bread was named best baker in the U.S.
—The Arizona Republic, 17 Apr. 2024
Participant had a long track record of producing movies and shows that earned strong reviews, nabbing prestigious honors in the process.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 16 Apr. 2024
Watson, 74, followed fellow golf icons Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus on the first tee to open the 88th edition of the prestigious major tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
—Kansas City Star, 11 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'prestigious.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Prestigious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prestigious. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
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