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.
Elon Musk and Elizabeth Holmes are unwitting film fest stars as documentaries about problematic tech titans have dominated news coming out of prestigious film festivals.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
World number 18 Eala, who skipped the prestigious China Open to play in Nagoya, was looking to become the first woman from the Philippines to win the title.
From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026
“Neurodegenerative mortality was nearly four times higher in NFL players compared with the general population and remained threefold higher after accounting for competing risks,” they reported in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026
An author whose latest book has been nominated for the prestigious Booker Prize said childhood boredom inspired his creativity.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
Now when he should be enjoying the rewards accorded the most prestigious chair in science, he had to be responsible for the outrageous antics of an unsuccessful genius.
From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson
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.
