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Prowess is a word with a lot to be proud of. Not only has it performed gallantly for the English language since the 13th century, but it has stayed relatively stalwart in hewing to its original meaning, which is quite a flex. When prowess first joined the ranks of the lexicon, it could be used to refer to bravery, skill, and valor—especially those virtues as encountered in military contexts—or to individual acts of derring-do. The latter was usually used in the plural, as when people waxed rhapsodic about the “prowesses” of knights or some such. Today’s “extraordinary ability” meaning, which developed in the 17th century, tends to stick to the singular form, as when it’s used to describe those with intellectual prowess, or to someone known for their prowess as a fundraiser.
Examples of prowess in a Sentence
Allan Swan, Forbes.com, 29 July 2025
Isak is an athletic dribbler with the power, technical prowess and eye for goal that teams covet.
—Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 28 July 2025
The band, whose unmistakable signature sound emanates from June Kuramoto’s formidable prowess on the koto, a Japanese stringed instrument, was formed in the 1970s in East Los Angeles by leader Dan Kuramoto.
—Duante Beddingfield, Freep.com, 24 July 2025
Tehran would go on to provide some of its own military prowess to Moscow, sharing a license to produce Shahed-style loitering munitions, or suicide drones, that have become a regular tool in Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine.
—Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for prowess
Cite this Entry
“Prowess.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prowess. Accessed 3 Aug. 2025.
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prowess
noun
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