prestigious
Americanadjective
-
indicative of or conferring prestige.
the most prestigious address in town.
- Synonyms:
- distinguished
-
having a high reputation; honored; esteemed.
a prestigious author.
- Synonyms:
- notable, illustrious
adjective
-
having status or glamour; impressive or influential
-
rare characterized by or using deceit, cunning, or illusion; fraudulent
Other Word Forms
- prestigiously adverb
- prestigiousness noun
Etymology
Origin of prestigious
First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin praestigiōsus “full of tricks, deceitful,” from praestigi(ae) “juggler's tricks” ( prestige ) + -ōsus -ous
Explanation
Eagle Scout is a prestigious position within the Boy Scouts. It requires a lot of hard work over a number of years, and if you become one, lots of people will respect you. The adjective prestigious has a really wonderful Latin root, praestigiae, which means "conjuring tricks." Think of the magic word, "Presto!" Even though today's prestigious doesn't necessarily mean that the person described can do magic, imagining prestigious people as magicians can help you remember the admiration and status that the word implies.
Vocabulary lists containing prestigious
The Hunger Games
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This Week in Words: October 22 - 27, 2017
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In May, she leaves for a three-month residency with the prestigious Picador Professorship in Germany.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026
The exchange was typical of Luca de Meo’s first months as the boss at Kering, the luxury conglomerate that owns Pomellato, Gucci and nine other prestigious brands.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026
His overall solid form in the past 12 months helped to send him off as the second favourite for the prestigious Ultima Handicap Chase at Cheltenham Festival last month.
From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026
In January 2025 Campbell's work creating and starring in his adaptation of The Tragedy of Richard III was recognised at a prestigious ceremony.
From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026
Pulling up to the Whitgift School on the first of the two days of competition, I decided the school looked more like a prestigious college campus than any primary school I’d ever seen before.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
