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.

The 45th London Critics’ Circle Film Awards were voted by the 210 members of film section of the Critics’ Circle, the U.K.’s longest-standing and most prestigious critics’ organisation. —

Alex Ritman, Variety, 2 Feb. 2025 The 45th London Critics’ Circle Film Awards were voted by the 210 members of the Film Section of the Critics’ Circle, the U.K.’s longest standing and most prestigious critics’ organization. —

Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 2 Feb. 2025 The night’s most prestigious award is always a nail-biter, but this year’s competition promises extra drama with Swift, who holds the AOTY record with four; breakthrough artists Carpenter, Roan and Charli xcx; and industry-evolving musicians Eilish, André 3000 and Jacob Collier in the mix. —

Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 2 Feb. 2025 These three awards, along with Best New Artist, are always presented near the end of the ceremony and are known to be the most prestigious awards in the music business. —

Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 2 Feb. 2025 See all Example Sentences for prestigious