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.
Three physicists responsible for the breakthrough have been named recipients of the 2026 Europhysics Prize, one of Europe's most prestigious honors in condensed matter physics.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026
Originally seen at London’s prestigious Hampstead Theatre, “A Ghost in Your Ear,” like “Paranormal Activity” on Broadway, relies less on action than atmosphere to keep us unsettled.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
Royal Marine commandos providing security at Wimbledon would like "nothing more than to sort out" disruptive social media influencers at the prestigious tournament, its chief executive has joked.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
Winner of the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, still among the most prestigious prizes any movie can claim, “Fjord” aims for both a quiet, subtle power and the directness of a sledgehammer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
A study he’d been working on for four years could any day be accepted into Nature, perhaps the most prestigious journal in his field.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
