esteem

1 of 2

noun

es·​teem i-ˈstēm 

1

: the regard in which one is held

especially : high regard

the esteem we all feel for her

2

archaic : worth, value

3

archaic : opinion, judgment

esteem

2 of 2

verb

esteemed; esteeming; esteems

transitive verb

1

: to set a high value on : regard highly and prize accordingly

an esteemed guest

2

a

: to view as : consider

esteem it a privilege

b

: think, believe

3

archaic : appraise

Synonyms

Noun

• admiration
• respect
• appreciation
• regard

Verb

• regard
• consider

Choose the Right Synonym for esteem

regard, respect, esteem, admire mean to recognize the worth of a person or thing.

regard is a general term that is usually qualified.

he is highly regarded in the profession

respect implies a considered evaluation or estimation.

after many years they came to respect her views

esteem implies greater warmth of feeling accompanying a high valuation.

no citizen of the town was more highly esteemed

admire suggests usually enthusiastic appreciation and often deep affection.

a friend that I truly admire

Examples of esteem in a Sentence

Noun

She has won esteem for her work with cancer patients.

an athlete who is held in great esteem by her peers

Verb

I had esteemed the whole affair to be a colossal waste of time.

although the works of the Impressionist painters are esteemed today, they met with scorn when they were introduced

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The Iron Claw A24's 2023 sports drama chronicles the real-life saga of the Von Erich brothers, who body-slammed their way into professional wrestling esteem in the 1980s while shouldering multiple family tragedies and the burden of their father's (Holt McCallany) towering legacy in the ring. —Charlotte Walsh, People.com, 1 Sep. 2025

On the contrary, all the girls held him in the highest esteem and had nothing but the greatest admiration for him. —Larry David, New Yorker, 28 Aug. 2025

Verb

Ominous clouds prompted a diversion to the Trango Towers, a rampart of granite spires esteemed by big-wall climbers. —Nick Paumgarten, New Yorker, 11 Aug. 2025

Throughout his solo career, Reid released six studio albums and while none of them were commercial hits, he was esteemed among his peers. —Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 5 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English estemen to estimate, from Anglo-French estimer, from Latin aestimare

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Phrases Containing esteem

• self-esteem

Rhymes for esteem

• abeam
• airstream
• bloodstream
• daydream
• downstream
• extreme
• grapheme
• hakim
• hornbeam
• lexeme
• mainstream
• midstream

Kids Definition

esteem

1 of 2 noun

es·​teem is-ˈtēm 

: the degree of respect or liking one has for something or someone

especially : a very favorable opinion

esteem

2 of 2 verb

1

: to think of in a particular way : consider

esteem it a privilege

2

: to think very highly or favorably of