prestigious
adjective
-ˈstē-
Did you know?
You might expect, based on how adjectives are often formed in English, that today’s word is an extension of the noun prestige. However, although both words share the same Latin root, they entered English by different routes and at different times. Moreover, both adjective and noun once had more to do with trickery than respect when they were first used. Prestigious came directly from the Latin adjective praestigiosis, meaning “full of tricks” or “deceitful,” and had a similar meaning upon entering English in the mid-16th century. Praestigiosis in turn came from the plural noun praestigiae, meaning “conjurer’s tricks.” This noun also gave English the word prestige, though it first passed through French and arrived a century after prestigious. Though it wasn’t first on the block, prestige influenced prestigious in a different way, by eventually developing an extended sense of “standing or esteem.” That change spurred a similar development in prestigious, which now means simply “illustrious or esteemed.”
Examples of prestigious in a Sentence
Stephen Garner, Footwear News, 20 June 2026
Brigadier General Andriy Biletsky, a former neo-Nazi politician, is one of the most influential figures in the military, leading the prestigious Azov Regiment.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 20 June 2026
Trouble for the little guys Highly prestigious schools, including the Ivies or public systems with large endowments like the University of California, might be insulated from the demographic crisis, Baum said.
—Tristan Bove, Fortune, 20 June 2026
The United States had its best-ever year at one of the most prestigious wine events globally, the Decanter World Wine Awards, which were announced Wednesday.
—Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 20 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for prestigious
Cite this Entry
“Prestigious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prestigious. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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