esteemed
Americanadjective
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of esteemed
First recorded in 1545–55; esteem + -ed 2 ( def. ) for the adjective; esteem + -ed 1 ( def. ) for the verb
Explanation
If lots of people respect you and you're known around town as a wise and intelligent person whose opinion matters, then you're esteemed. Esteemed comes from the verb esteem, which means "to think valuable." If you are esteemed, then people think you're a valuable person to have around, and have a lot of respect for you. If you're hosting a dinner party with a special guest, an elderly man who has traveled the world and written many books, you could introduce him as your esteemed guest.
Vocabulary lists containing esteemed
A Raisin in the Sun
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Beowulf vocabulary
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Henry David Thoreau "Civil Disobedience" (1849)
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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.
It was 1955 and Marcus, a 31-year-old associate professor of chemistry still in the early stages of his career, had found an elementary mistake in the work of an esteemed scientist.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
In a country that esteemed practicality, fiction was enlisted to speak directly to a cause.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
This title is only awarded by the Congolese president to the most esteemed public figures.
From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2026
Immigrants lived near the mission, and esteemed Spanish Mexican families lived in large mansions around the churches that dot Old Town in the mid-19th century — many came post-Spanish-Mexican wars.
From Salon ● May 9, 2026
The esteemed Negro writers Miss Kimble talked about when I first visited the library.
From "Finding Langston" by Lesa Cline-Ransome
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
