prestige

Meaning

1. 1noununcountable

   The high standing and respect that a person, organization or thing earns through success, achievement or association with importance.

   Grammar: Not used with an or a plural: a job with prestige, not a prestige.

   Patterns

   • the prestige of something
   • bring prestige to someone
   • prestige among someone

   The university's prestige attracts applicants from all over the world.

   Working at the famous hospital gave her a great deal of prestige.

   Some drivers buy expensive cars purely for prestige.

Common combinations

great prestige

The prize carries great prestige in the scientific community.

gain prestige

The small club gained prestige after winning the national cup.

lose prestige

The company lost prestige when the scandal became public.

social prestige

In that town, owning land brought social prestige.

international prestige

The festival has won international prestige over the past decade.

Synonyms and how they differ

status

Status simply means your position in a group and can be low or high, whereas prestige always implies admired, high standing.

reputation

Reputation is what people generally think of you, good or bad, while prestige is specifically the respected, elevated kind.

kudos

Kudos is informal praise for a particular achievement, whereas prestige is a lasting quality attached to a person or institution.

esteem

Esteem is the personal respect someone feels for another, while prestige describes the public standing that causes such respect.

Opposites

Word family

prestigious adjective

having high status and widely respected

prestigiously adverb

in a way that carries high status

prestigeless adjective

lacking any status or respect (rare)

Commonly confused: prestige or prestigious?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “prestige”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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