esteem

American  

[ih-steem] / ɪˈstim /

verb (used with object)

1. to regard highly or favorably; regard with respect or admiration.

   I esteem him for his honesty.

   Synonyms:

   respect, revere, honor

   Antonyms:

   disdain

2. to consider as of a certain value or of a certain type; regard.

   I esteem it worthless.

3. Obsolete. to set a value on; appraise.

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noun

1. favorable opinion or judgment; respect or regard.

   to hold a person in esteem.

   Synonyms:

   veneration, reverence, honor, admiration, favor

2. Archaic. opinion or judgment; estimation; valuation.

esteem British  

/ ɪˈstiːm /

verb

1. to have great respect or high regard for

   to esteem a colleague

2. formal to judge or consider; deem

   to esteem an idea improper

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noun

1. high regard or respect; good opinion

2. archaic judgment; opinion

Usage

What are other ways to say esteem? If you esteem someone, you hold them in high regard. How is esteem different from appreciate, value, and prize? Find out on Thesaurus.com. 

Related Words

See respect.

Other Word Forms

• esteemed
  adjective
• preesteem
  verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of esteem

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English estemen, from Middle French estimer, from Latin aestimāre “to fix the value of”

Explanation

Esteem is all about respect and admiration. If you have high self-esteem, it means you like yourself. When you say, "My esteemed colleagues," you are saying you have nothing but the highest respect for them. Esteem derives from the same Latin word that gives us estimate, and back in the day, esteem, like estimate meant "to assess, or judge the value of something." That sense lingers today. When you say you hold someone in high esteem, it means you give them a high value. Unless you're a politician, in which case, when you say, "I hold my opponent in high esteem," you are most likely to follow that statement with a big "But...."

Example Sentences

"It's very lazy," Self Esteem tells Newsbeat backstage, when asked about the lack of female headliners.

From BBC • May 25, 2025

"This album is going to get terrible reviews," Self Esteem predicted when I caught up with her last Christmas.

From BBC • Apr. 20, 2025

"Please be upstanding for the world's most confusing House of Games contestant and Bake Off failure, Self Esteem!"

From BBC • Apr. 18, 2025

Esteem for “The Babadook” has only grown — not in spite of its “crazy” name but perhaps because of it.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 18, 2024

There are many other Counsellors of State, but not being admitted to the Cabinet-Council they are not in so much Esteem as the others.

From The Memoirs of Charles-Lewis, Baron de Pollnitz, Volume I Being the Observations He Made in His Late Travels from Prussia thro' Germany, Italy, France, Flanders, Holland, England, &C. in Letters to His Friend. Discovering Not Only the Present State of the Chief Cities and Towns; but the Characters of the Principal Persons at the Several Courts. by P?llnitz, Karl Ludwig von

Related Words

• hold dear
• revere
• value
• venerate