coveted

adjective

cov·​et·​ed ˈkə-və-təd 

: earnestly wished for or sought after

a coveted prize/honor

The Nobel prizes, the most coveted of international awards, offer celebrity and money to the winners of the priority race in the sciences.

—Daniel J. Boorstin

Her clothing has that coveted I-look-good-without-any-effort look.

—Sita Bhaumik

Univision, which is based in Los Angeles and is the nation's largest Spanish-language network, for the first time drew more prime-time viewers in the coveted 18-34 age group than all the other broadcast networks during some weeks this summer.

—Mireya Navarro

But those days were over when, seeking new challenges, she signed on as Ralph Lauren's personal chef, a cushy, coveted position that would (occasionally) call upon her to bake.

—Kim Steckler

Book hunters comb auction lists, antiquarian bookstores and a slew of online shops in search of coveted editions.

—Nicole Sforza

Examples of coveted in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Tech’s football team spent more than $10 million on its transfer portal class this offseason, landing multiple highly coveted transfers, including former North Carolina offensive tackle Howard Sampson, former Stanford edge rusher David Bailey and former Georgia Tech edge rusher Romello Height. —The Athletic Staff, New York Times, 5 July 2025

The winner receives the highly coveted and bejeweled Mustard Belt, a $10,000 grand prize and the esteemed champion title. —Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2025

Tory Burch’s semi-annual sale is bringing an additional 25% off all sale styles, including chic ready-to-wear and highly coveted bags. —Jake Henry Smith, Glamour, 4 July 2025

After the huge success of North One’s Brawn: The Impossible Formula 1 Story on Disney+, which was hosted by Reeves, budding F1 team Cadillac — who have the world of sport watching after nabbing a coveted 2026 grid spot — wanted to recreate the magic. —Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 3 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1548, in the meaning defined above