prestige

American  

[pre-steezh, -steej] / prɛˈstiʒ, -ˈstidʒ /

noun

1. 

   reputation or influence arising from success, achievement, rank, or other favorable attributes.

   Synonyms:

   importance, weight

   Antonyms:

   disrepute

2. distinction or reputation attaching to a person or thing and thus possessing a cachet for others or for the public.

   The new discothèque has great prestige with the jet set.

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adjective

1. having or showing success, rank, wealth, etc.

prestige British  

/ prɛˈstiːʒ /

noun

1. high status or reputation achieved through success, influence, wealth, etc; renown

2. 1. the power to influence or impress; glamour

   2. ( modifier )

      a prestige car

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Other Word Forms

• prestigeful
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of prestige

First recorded in 1650–60, for an earlier sense; from French (originally plural): “deceits, delusions, juggler's tricks,” from Latin praestīgiae “juggler's tricks,” variant of praestrīgiae, derivative of praestringere “to blind, blunt,” literally, “to bind hard, tie up,” from prae- pre- + stringere “to draw tight” ( see stringent)

Explanation

People, cars, schools, clubs, banks––all can be said to have prestige. Star in a blockbuster movie? Your prestige level just shot up. Make a really bad faux pas? Your prestige just went down. When something has prestige it is said to be prestigious. Often this is applied to colleges –– "After earning straight As and lettering in three Varsity sports, Vivian had her choice among prestigious universities." To remember this word, think about pres- — people or things with prestige often are covered by the press.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

prestige

Both Cruise and Pitt have a death grip on their A-List prestige, hyper-aware of how much the world perceives and enjoys their work.

From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2026

This year, Apple TV+ won the most Emmys on the strength of its quirky series, “Widow’s Bay,” and other prestige programming.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

Guided by the willful and refined tastes of the ruling house of Gonzaga, this cash-poor city-state, a mere marquisate for much of the 15th century, turned cultural prestige into an expression of political might.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

While Wembley offers unmatched prestige, exposing tens of thousands of fans and a massive international broadcast operation to potentially freezing temperatures, wind and rain was deemed unacceptable.

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026

As they first began to expand their territory on the mainland, since they did not have much to control there and enjoyed great prestige, they had little to fear from their captains.

From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli

Related Words

• cachet
• dignity
• esteem
• importance
• power
• prominence
• reputation
• standing
• stature
• status
• weight