esteemed

American

[ih-steemd] / ɪˈstimd /

adjective

regarded highly or favorably; respected or admired.

Her teaching ability, leadership skills, and winsome personality made her a highly esteemed member of the school staff.

verb

the simple past tense and past participle of esteem.

Other Word Forms

unesteemed adjective
well-esteemed adjective

Etymology

Origin of esteemed

First recorded in 1545–55; esteem + -ed ² ( def. ) for the adjective; esteem + -ed ¹ ( def. ) for the verb

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.

Although I am a Christian and strongly believe Jesus is the son of God, I’ve always esteemed my Muslim friends.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

Several esteemed opera houses, ballet companies and artists working within these spaces publicly lambasted Chalamet’s comments.

From Salon • Mar. 11, 2026

In doing so, she would join an esteemed group including Serena Williams, Martina Hingis and Steffi Graf.

From Barron's • Jan. 30, 2026

As well as sharing the screen with esteemed actors, Sir Jonathan says he also enjoyed working with up-and-coming Welsh talent as part of the ensemble cast.

From BBC • Jan. 29, 2026

If I were to hold a candle underneath our esteemed teacher’s foot, very little would occur.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023