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.

When DI Glyn Walsh returns unexpectedly early from bereavement leave, he and DS Sion Dearden work together to solve the perplexing murder of an esteemed university professor.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

But no one expected a live demonstration, and certainly not from one of the esteemed artists featured within the museum’s pristinely pruned collection.

From Salon • Mar. 14, 2026

And this ambivalence proves infectious as they grow up, marry and have a child, with Dick becoming an esteemed novelist while Elle takes up English teaching.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2026

It emerged in seeps along riverbanks, where it was blotted up with blankets to be made into patent medicines esteemed for their value to cure everything from scrofula to diarrhea.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson

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