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

“But I think she thinks she’s a beloved teacher and an esteemed professor.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 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

Her esteemed position in the community, with the church, and as someone who could speak almost unaccented English seemed to supersede her position as a woman.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

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