esteem

/ɛsˈɾim/

/ɛsˈtim/

Other forms: esteemed; esteems; esteeming

Esteem is all about respect and admiration. If you have high self-esteem, it means you like yourself. When you say, "My esteemed colleagues," you are saying you have nothing but the highest respect for them.

Esteem derives from the same Latin word that gives us estimate, and back in the day, esteem, like estimate meant "to assess, or judge the value of something." That sense lingers today. When you say you hold someone in high esteem, it means you give them a high value. Unless you're a politician, in which case, when you say, "I hold my opponent in high esteem," you are most likely to follow that statement with a big "But...."

Definitions of esteem

1. noun

   the condition of being honored (esteemed or respected or well regarded)
   “it is held in esteem”

   synonyms: regard, respect

   antonyms:

   disesteem

   the state in which esteem has been lost

   types:

   stature

   high level of respect gained by impressive development or achievement

   type of:

   honor, honour, laurels

   the state of being honored
2. noun

   an attitude of admiration or esteem
   synonyms: regard, respect

   types:

   estimate, estimation

   the respect with which a person is held

   report, reputation

   the general estimation that the public has for a person

   type of:

   attitude, mental attitude

   a complex mental state involving beliefs and feelings and values and dispositions to act in certain ways
3. noun

   a feeling of delighted approval and liking
   synonyms: admiration

   types:

   Anglophilia

   admiration for Britain and British customs

   hero worship

   admiration for great men (or their memory)

   philhellenism

   admiration for Greece and the Greeks and Greek customs

   philogyny

   admiration for women

   type of:

   liking

   a feeling of pleasure and enjoyment
4. verb

   regard highly; think much of
   synonyms: prise, prize, respect, value

   antonyms:

   disesteem

   have little or no respect for; hold in contempt

   types:

   think the world of

   esteem very highly

   fear, revere, reverence, venerate

   regard with feelings of respect and reverence; consider hallowed or exalted or be in awe of

   admire, look up to

   feel admiration for

   enshrine, saint

   hold sacred

   worship

   show devotion to (a deity)

   envy

   feel envious towards; admire enviously

   type of:

   consider, reckon, regard, see, view

   deem to be
5. verb

   look on as or consider
   synonyms: look on, look upon, perceive, regard as, repute, take to be, think of

   type of:

   believe, conceive, consider, think

   judge or regard; look upon; judge