endowed
Americanadjective
-
supported by a permanent fund or source of income.
A cooperative owned by 50 families set up the endowed scholarship in 2000.
-
naturally possessing a certain quality, talent, physical feature, or other advantage, especially a sexually attractive feature.
She bunched up the blouse behind her to look at herself and sighed at her modestly endowed body.
Countries far less endowed than ours have made greater economic progress through greater coherence and unity of purpose.
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of endowed
Explanation
When you're stuck on a really tricky math problem, you might ask your best friend for help, especially if she happens to be endowed with impressive mathematical skills. Endowed means "provided or equipped with." When you have a special ability, you can say you're endowed with it. You can also be endowed with a quality, like beauty. Endowed is often used to describe something you're born with, though it can also refer to something that's been learned. Endowed traditionally meant "provided with money," especially when it came to a woman's dowry, the money she brought into a marriage. It's still used this way when someone donates, or endows, money to an institution.
Vocabulary lists containing endowed
Vocabulary to Describe Literary Devices
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Much Ado About Nothing
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Beowulf vocabulary
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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.
The idea that anyone can suddenly be endowed with superhuman specialness simply by being in the right place at the right time is a little like daydreaming about winning the lottery.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
But they note in some districts the percentage of foreign owners already exceeds the 15 percent limit, particularly in "territories endowed with water and mineral resources, or logistical advantages," such as ports.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
In a letter to the Brown community, university chancellor Brian Moynihan praised Paxson for overseeing the fundraising for about 150 endowed professorships and expanded access to student aid.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
That practice must end, because it is a "complete devaluation of the resource that is so fortunately endowed in places like Nigeria and other countries," he told BBC Focus on Africa.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
Like my nanni’s voice endowed each of the words with the strength of her belief, like the words were tangible.
From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed
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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.