prestigious

adjective

pres·​ti·​gious pre-ˈsti-jəs  -ˈstē- 

also prə-

1

: having prestige : honored

2

archaic : of, relating to, or marked by illusion, conjuring, or trickery

prestigiously adverb

prestigiousness noun

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.”

Synonyms of prestigious

• respected
• respectable
• reputable
• esteemed
• renowned
• distinguished
• reputed

Examples of prestigious in a Sentence

a nutritional study that has been published by a prestigious medical journal

the most prestigious social club in town

Recent Examples on the Web

After presenting his findings at a meeting of the Chicago Bar Association Election Law Committee, Delort was urged to write the article by the editor of the prestigious Journal of Supreme Court History. —Jim Dudlicek, Chicago Tribune, 24 May 2026

These cars are built and tuned to hit peak performance by prestigious racing teams. —Charles Singh, USA Today, 23 May 2026

During the post-closing ceremony panel, the jury president showed a sense of humor when discussing the challenges of serving as the leading member of the voting committee for a prestigious film festival, like being away from the phones all morning. —Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 23 May 2026

The topic of filmmaking between industry and vision’ and the current tensions between creation, industry and authorship will be further expanded at ECAM Forum’s The State of Things conference strand organized by the industry arm of Madrid’s prestigious ECAM film school. —Annika Pham, Variety, 22 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin praestigiosus, from praestigiae

First Known Use

1546, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for prestigious

• irreligious
• nonreligious
• interreligious
• litigious
• prodigious
• religious

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