prestigious
Americanadjective
-
indicative of or conferring prestige.
the most prestigious address in town.
- Synonyms:
- distinguished
-
having a high reputation; honored; esteemed.
a prestigious author.
- Synonyms:
- notable, illustrious
adjective
-
having status or glamour; impressive or influential
-
rare characterized by or using deceit, cunning, or illusion; fraudulent
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of prestigious
First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin praestigiōsus “full of tricks, deceitful,” from praestigi(ae) “juggler's tricks” ( see prestige) + -ōsus -ous
Explanation
Eagle Scout is a prestigious position within the Boy Scouts. It requires a lot of hard work over a number of years, and if you become one, lots of people will respect you. The adjective prestigious has a really wonderful Latin root, praestigiae, which means "conjuring tricks." Think of the magic word, "Presto!" Even though today's prestigious doesn't necessarily mean that the person described can do magic, imagining prestigious people as magicians can help you remember the admiration and status that the word implies.
Vocabulary lists containing prestigious
The Hunger Games
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This Week in Words: October 22 - 27, 2017
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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.
A promising forward who had risen through the ranks of Arsenal’s prestigious youth academy, Balogun was eligible to represent three different teams at the international level.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 6, 2026
So has the fact that even prestigious European brands often rely on Asian manufacturing.
From BBC • Jul. 5, 2026
Forget Serena and Venus, Jannik or Novak, Rufus is the real star of the prestigious London club which hosts the annual championships -- the only one of the tennis majors played on grass.
From Barron's • Jul. 1, 2026
At 13, after winning the prestigious Les Petits As tournament in France, she made the massive leap to move across the world at the invitation of the Rafael Nadal Academy in Spain.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 30, 2026
Seabiscuit was entered in the prestigious Bay Meadows Handicap, but the track handicap- per delivered bad news: Seabiscuit received a 127-pound impost.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
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.
