bestowed

American  

[bih-stohd] / bɪˈstoʊd /

adjective

1. presented as a gift or privilege; given or conferred.

   As the official addressed them, some members of the audience shouted with joy over their newly bestowed citizenship.

2. Archaic. applied; put to some use.

   If I regarded the present discussion concerning baptism as only about mere mode or form, I should think my time and labor poorly bestowed.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of bestow.

Other Word Forms

• unbestowed adjective
• well-bestowed adjective

Etymology

Origin of bestowed

bestow ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

The couple will still be on a high after all the festivities and luxuriating in the afterglow of the love — and cash — bestowed upon them.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 13, 2026

The historian Rachel Trethewey corrects that in a lively biography, “Muv,” which takes its title from the nickname Sydney’s children bestowed on her.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

The accolade has previously been bestowed upon politicians and celebrities including Sir Winston Churchill and Dame Judi Dench.

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026

In the run-up to the Academy Awards, Madigan was not the overarching favorite, but wins at the Critics Choice Awards and the Actor Awards bestowed by the Screen Actors Guild snowballed into Oscars success.

From Barron's • Mar. 15, 2026

Mammachi knew this, but preferred to construe Margaret Kochamma’s silence as a tacit acceptance of payment for the favors Mammachi imagined she bestowed on her son.

From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy