ENGLISH
REFERENCE

prestigious

adj.
C1 Advanced Oxford US //pɝˈstidʒəs// UK //pɹɛstˈɪdʒəs// pres·ti·gious

adj. respected and admired because of high quality, success, or influence. You use this to describe things like top universities, famous awards, or important jobs.

adj. possessing high status or stature; inspiring respect and admiration through perceived excellence or influence. Often used to describe institutions, awards, or professional positions.


SIMPLE

She won a prestigious award for her scientific research.

CONTEXTUAL

Graduating from such a prestigious university often opens doors to high-level careers in law and international business.

COMPLEX

The fellowship remains one of the most prestigious honors in the humanities, attracting thousands of applications from the world's leading scholars every year.

Synonyms
Origin

Attested since the 1540s; Latin praestigiosus (“full of tricks”), praestigiae (“juggler's tricks”), possibly an alteration of praestringō (“to blindfold, to dazzle”), from prae- (“before”) with stringō (“to bind or tie”); equivalent to prestige + -ious. Unstressed /ɛ/ is retained by analogy with prestige.

Usage

Typically precedes the noun it modifies; frequently collocated with 'award', 'university', 'position', or 'firm'.

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