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.
Esteemed journals like the Lancet and Science have published reports from ongoing field studies predicting dire outcomes.
From Salon • Aug. 16, 2025
Esteemed sax man and bandleader Donny McCaslin serves as the tour’s artistic director and will be accompanied by keyboardist Jason Lindner and bassist Tim Lefebvre, who each played on the jazzy art-rock masterpiece.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 12, 2024
Esteemed physician Ernest Auburtin asserted that specific areas of the brain have specific functions and further stated that motor articulation is not directly relevant to the ability to conceive words and ideas.
From Textbooks • Dec. 21, 2021
Esteemed teachers like Suki Schorer, a former principal who started teaching at Balanchine’s request in the early 1960s and continues to do so at the School of American Ballet, are getting older.
From New York Times • Sep. 22, 2021
“Ah! Esteemed guest! I was just thinking of Von Tibula!”
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
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
