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esteem

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb esteem contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of esteem are admire, regard, and respect. While all these words mean "to recognize the worth of a person or thing," esteem implies greater warmth of feeling accompanying a high valuation.

no citizen of the town was more highly esteemed

When is admire a more appropriate choice than esteem?

The words admire and esteem can be used in similar contexts, but admire suggests usually enthusiastic appreciation and often deep affection.

a friend that I truly admire

When is it sensible to use regard instead of esteem?

Although the words regard and esteem have much in common, regard is a general term that is usually qualified.

he is highly regarded in the profession

Where would respect be a reasonable alternative to esteem?

In some situations, the words respect and esteem are roughly equivalent. However, respect implies a considered evaluation or estimation.

after many years they came to respect her views

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of esteem
Noun
Sandringham Estate has long been held in high royal esteem. Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 6 June 2025 CFOs also viewed them favorably, with 72% ranking them in good esteem. Megan Poinski, Forbes.com, 2 June 2025
Verb
Brando has been long esteemed as America’s greatest, most influential actor and for Dillon, 61, bringing the late icon to life in one of his most iconic roles was irresistible. Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 28 Apr. 2025 Engagement was never successful in fully diminishing the party’s yearning to be esteemed as an equal, and perhaps even a superior in certain respects, by other great powers. Orville Schell, Foreign Affairs, 6 Feb. 2022 See All Example Sentences for esteem
Recent Examples of Synonyms for esteem
Noun
  • Just over a month ago, Trump and Elon Musk were exchanging mutual admiration.
    Jesse Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 July 2025
  • On July 22, the sun will enter vivacious Leo, turning up the drama and cinematic flair, where the desire for attention and admiration skyrockets.
    Valerie Mesa, People.com, 10 July 2025
Verb
  • The warning was released on Thursday at 8:36 a.m., and the latest update regarding this incident was made available on Thursday at 9:05 a.m. Past Incidents in the last 12 hours: There were no traffic incidents reported in this area for the past 12 hours.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 10 July 2025
  • While the measure was discussed to some extent on that May date, specifics regarding the measure weren’t known until months later.
    Thomas Gounley, Denver Post, 10 July 2025
Verb
  • That’s where dynamic leadership comes into play: Harada understood and cared for his workers, respecting the local culture and giving them space to be themselves, while at the same time maintaining his Japanese traditions and introducing them into an American context.
    IESE Business School, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
  • The code also details expectations for AI companies to respect paywalls, as well as robots.txt instructions restricting crawling, which could help confront a growing problem of AI crawlers hammering websites.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 10 July 2025
Verb
  • Here are other things that came out of Engelbert’s availability: Engelbert said the WNBA is thinking about expanding its future scheduling footprint as well as the number of games played in upcoming seasons.
    Ben Pickman, New York Times, 20 July 2025
  • Why do otherwise well-mannered people think open-mouth chewing is socially acceptable?
    R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 20 July 2025
Noun
  • First, exhibit appreciation for and an interest in others’ abilities, skills, knowledge and perspectives.
    Susan Madsen, Forbes.com, 11 July 2025
  • And there’s this deep appreciation for culture and the way these countries developed, especially as an outsider looking at the United States.
    Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 11 July 2025
Verb
  • Several residents said the situation was an opportunity for the City Council to consider letting residents select their waste hauler, rather than limiting them to services with the city’s lone waste hauler, Republic Services.
    Tammy Murga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 July 2025
  • This is particularly important for homeowners in fire-prone areas to consider, the James Hardie pro says.
    Patricia Shannon, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 July 2025
Verb
  • Even those who didn't know him well admired him for his dedication to the school and the team.
    Craig Shoup, The Tennessean, 11 July 2025
  • Another thing Berlanga cannot do is admire his power shots.
    Trent Reinsmith, Forbes.com, 11 July 2025
Verb
  • An object believed to be both from another star system and the oldest comet ever observed has been imaged by a massive telescope on a volcano in Hawaii.
    Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 16 July 2025
  • Authorities believe Bryant is the man captured on surveillance video throwing a Molotov cocktail through the window of the building, according to an arrest affidavit cited by the Denver Post and Colorado Public Radio (CPR).
    Ben Brachfeld, People.com, 15 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Esteem.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/esteem. Accessed 23 Jul. 2025.

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