esteemed

American

[ih-steemd] / ɪˈstimd /

adjective

regarded highly or favorably; respected or admired.

Her teaching ability, leadership skills, and winsome personality made her a highly esteemed member of the school staff.

verb

the simple past tense and past participle of esteem.

Other Word Forms

unesteemed adjective
well-esteemed adjective

Etymology

Origin of esteemed

First recorded in 1545–55; esteem + -ed ² ( def. ) for the adjective; esteem + -ed ¹ ( def. ) for the verb

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.

Part of that is because modern and contemporary art, which were categories that were never that financially esteemed, 25 to 30 years ago, suddenly became hot.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026

Several esteemed opera houses, ballet companies and artists working within these spaces publicly lambasted Chalamet’s comments.

From Salon • Mar. 11, 2026

In doing so, she would join an esteemed group including Serena Williams, Martina Hingis and Steffi Graf.

From Barron's • Jan. 30, 2026

As well as sharing the screen with esteemed actors, Sir Jonathan says he also enjoyed working with up-and-coming Welsh talent as part of the ensemble cast.

From BBC • Jan. 29, 2026

“About twenty hours, give or take, esteemed guest, depending on whether they choose the happy or sad ending.”

From "The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge" by M.T. Anderson and Eugene Yelchin

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023