English · Word Candidate

prestige

/pɹɛsˈtiːd͡ʒ/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: prestiges · prestiging · prestiged

Sense 1

Meaning · English

The quality of how good the reputation of something or someone is, how favourably something or someone is regarded.

Noun

Examples

Oxford has a university of very high prestige.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Meaning · English

The act of starting over at an earlier point in a video game with some type of bonus or reward.

Noun

Examples

Rather than relying on the genre-standard “prestige,” the act of resetting your progress to earn a larger modifier on your next attempt, SPACEPLAN resets its progress by sending you to a new planet so that it can both reset your progress and advance the narrative. […] Prestige can sometimes feel lik

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 3

Meaning · English

Regarded as relatively prestigious; often, considered the standard language or language variety, or a part of such a variety.

Adjective

Examples

Furthermore there is in each area a well recognized standard, known by a single name, which although often linguistically distinct from local dialects, has served as the prestige form for some time.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 4

Meaning · English

To start over at an earlier point in a video game with some type of bonus or reward.

Verb

Examples

This seriously depends on the prerequisites, but most chars will already have a +1 bow by the time they're thinking of prestiging - or will this stack with the equipment's magic?

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “prestige” mean?

The quality of how good the reputation of something or someone is, how favourably something or someone is regarded.

Is “prestige” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.