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
Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 11 July 2025
Stanford has no natural ties to the ACC, and life is a lot harder now for the prestigious academic institution because of name, image and likeness, revenue sharing and the transfer portal.
—Antonio Morales, New York Times, 11 July 2025
Sazerac has embraced the history of its properties, including honoring figures like George T. Stagg and E.H. Taylor Jr. with dedicated labels in its prestigious lineup.
—Joseph V Micallef, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
So, just how many times has Trump been nominated for the prestigious award?
—Brendan Rascius
july 10, Miami Herald, 10 July 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 15 Jul. 2025.
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