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
Jennifer Bradley Franklin, Travel + Leisure, 18 Dec. 2025
In 2023, Sister Connelly was awarded the University of Notre Dame's Laetare Medal, considered the oldest and most prestigious honor given to an American Catholic.
—Adam Harrington, CBS News, 18 Dec. 2025
One Heisman Trophy voter on Wednesday expressed regret for voting for Vanderbilt Commodores star Diego Pavia to win the prestigious award.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 18 Dec. 2025
Smith-Cameron will play Isadora, aka Izzy, the director of New York’s most prestigious debutante ball.
—Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 17 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prestigious
Cite this Entry
“Prestigious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prestigious. Accessed 23 Dec. 2025.
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