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
Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 23 Oct. 2025
The prestigious honor rewards the best offensive players at each position.
—Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2025
The age-old value proposition of indie filmmaking — that landing acceptance to a prestigious festival begets a sale to a distributor that pays off your debts and puts your movie in front of a massive audience — is flimsier than ever.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 22 Oct. 2025
In fact, a total of 26 Charlotte area chefs and restaurants have been in the running for the prestigious honor since the inception of the annual awards.
—Chyna Blackmon, Charlotte Observer, 22 Oct. 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 27 Oct. 2025.
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