Meaning & use
esteemed
Last updated
UK/ɪˈstiːmd/
US/ɪˈstiːmd/
Meaning
adjectivebefore a nounformal
Held in high regard and respected by many people.
Grammar: Almost always goes before a noun, often in greetings: esteemed guests.
Patterns
- highly esteemed
- esteemed by someone
We are honored to welcome our esteemed colleague, Dr. Patel.
The esteemed professor was awarded a lifetime achievement prize.
It is an esteemed institution with a long history.
Common combinations
- esteemed colleague
- I thank my esteemed colleague for her remarks.
- esteemed guest
- Our esteemed guest will now say a few words.
- highly esteemed
- He is a highly esteemed physician in the region.
- esteemed member
- She is an esteemed member of the board.
- esteemed reputation
- The firm built an esteemed reputation over decades.
Synonyms and how they differ
- respected
- Respected is plain and everyday, while esteemed sounds more ceremonial and warmer in tone.
- honored
- Honored describes someone who has been given recognition, whereas esteemed describes how the person is generally seen.
- distinguished
- Distinguished stresses outstanding achievement, which esteemed does not necessarily require.
- venerable
- Venerable suggests respect due to age and wisdom, narrower than esteemed.
Opposites
Word family
- esteem noun
- respect and admiration
- esteem verb
- to respect or admire greatly
- self-esteem noun
- confidence in your own worth
- disesteem noun
- lack of respect (rare)
Commonly confused: esteemed or steamed?
esteemed vs steamed
Steamed means cooked with steam or, informally, angry; esteemed means respected, and the two sound very similar.
Practice
Which phrase is a typical formal greeting?
Choose one answer.
Esteemed is used before a noun in formal speech, as in the first option. The others misuse word order or register.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “esteemed”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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