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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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.
As a senior, Elsesser was named best new artist at the Guild Hall Exhibition, the youngest-ever recipient at the prestigious visual and performing arts center in East Hampton.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026
Both cases attracted the interest of prestigious law firms after the Supreme Court signaled on its docket that the justices were taking a closer-than-usual look at the two men’s petitions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026
However, she became distressed when her ideas were copied by or "inspired" her male contemporaries – including Andy Warhol, Claes Oldenburg and Lucas Samaras – whose works would be displayed at more prestigious galleries.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
In Shanghai, two more former Tsinghua researchers, including one from the prestigious “Yao class,” also started their own companies to build AI models.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 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
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.
