Prize — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun adjective verb /ˈprīz/

Meaning & Definition of Prize

Prize (noun)

  1. something offered or striven for in competition or in contests of chance; also, premium
  2. something exceptionally desirable
  3. a contest for a reward, competition
  4. something taken by force, stratagem, or threat; especially, property lawfully captured at sea in time of war
  5. an act of capturing or taking; especially, the wartime capture of a ship and its cargo at sea

Prize (adjective)

  1. awarded or worthy of a prize
  2. awarded as a prize
  3. entered for the sake of a prize

Prize (verb)

  1. to estimate the value of, rate
  2. to value highly, esteem
  3. to press, force, or move with a lever, pry

Prize (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. someone or something unusually desirable

    "in the view of most of her friends, her current boyfriend is certainly no prize"

    similar: catch, gem, jewel, pearl, plum, treasure
    related: blessing, find, godsend, goody, valuable, windfall, booty, loot, plunder, spoil, swag, brass ring, glory, pride, gold, jackpot, prize money, treasure trove
    near: lemon, loser

  2. something given in recognition of achievement

    "the Pritzker Architecture Prize is the world's most prestigious honor in the field of architecture"

    similar: accolade, award, blue ribbon, decoration, distinction, honor, kudo, plume, premium
    related: badge, crown, cup, laurel, medal, order, plaque, plate, ribbon, trophy, applause, bravo, encomium, eulogy, hallelujah, homage, paean, panegyric, plaudit, tribute, citation, commendation, compliment, honorable mention

Prize (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. of the very best kind

    "delighted to be guests at one of her prize dinner parties"

    similar: A-OK, A1, awesome, bang-up, banner, beautiful, blue-chip, blue-ribbon, boffo, bonny (chiefly British), boss (slang), brag, brave, bully, bumper, capital, choice, classic, cool (slang), corking, crackerjack, cracking, dandy, divine, dope (slang), down (slang), dynamite, excellent, fab, fabulous, famous, fantabulous (slang), fantastic, fine, first-class, first-rate, first-string, five-star, four-star, frontline, gangbusters, gilt-edged, gone (slang), grand, great, groovy, heavenly, high-class, hot, hype (slang), immense, jim-dandy, keen, lovely, marvelous, mean, neat, nifty, noble, number one, numero uno, out-of-sight (slang), par excellence, peachy, peachy keen, phat (slang), prime, primo (slang), prizewinning, quality, radical (slang), righteous (slang), sensational, slick, splendid, stellar, sterling, superb, superior, superlative, supernal, swell, terrific, tip-top, top, top-notch, top-of-the-line, top-shelf, topflight, topping (chiefly British), unsurpassed, wizard (chiefly British), wonderful, out of this world, too much
    related: acceptable, adequate, all right, decent, good, OK, passable, satisfactory, tolerable, better, exceptional, fancy, high-grade, high-test, premium, select, special, superfine, classical, standard, traditional
    opposite: atrocious, awful, execrable, lousy, pathetic, poor, rotten, terrible, vile, wretched
    near: bad, inferior, low-grade, substandard, unsatisfactory, mediocre, middling, second-class, second-rate

Prize (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to draw out by force or with effort

    "prizing the stubborn nails out of the board"

    similar: corkscrew, extract, pry, pull, root (out), tear (out), uproot, wrest, wring, yank
    related: mine, pluck, remove, take (out), withdraw
    near: implant, insert, install, instill, cram, jam, ram, stuff, wedge

  2. to raise, move, or pull apart with or as if with a lever

    "trying to prize apart the jammed gears"

    similar: jimmy, lever, pry
    related: elevate, hoist, lift, uplift, break, break up, detach, disengage, disjoin, divide, part, pull, separate, shift
    near: connect, join

  3. to hold dear

    "veterinarians know that pets are highly prized by their owners"

    similar: appreciate, cherish, love, treasure, value, set store by
    related: delight (in), dig, enjoy, fancy, groove (on), like, relish, revel (in), admire, apprize, esteem, regard, respect, revere, reverence, venerate, enshrine, memorialize, adore, caress, dote (on), idolize, worship
    opposite: disvalue
    near: undervalue, abhor, abominate, despise, detest, execrate, hate, loathe, disdain, high-hat, scorn, scout, slight, sniff (at), snub, bad-mouth, belittle, cry down, decry, deprecate, depreciate, disparage, kiss off, minimize, put down, write off, abandon, forget, neglect

Related Entry: Prize money (noun)

Prize money is a different word from Prize. The synonyms below are for prize money, not for prize.

  1. as in gold, treasure trove

    similar: gold, jackpot, treasure trove, glory, pride, brass ring, booty, loot, plunder, spoil, swag, blessing, find, godsend, goody, valuable, windfall, catch, gem, jewel, pearl, plum, prize, treasure
    opposite: lemon, loser

Related Entry: Prize moneys (noun)

Prize moneys is a different word from Prize. The synonyms below are for prize moneys, not for prize.

  1. as in golds, treasure troves

    similar: golds, jackpots, treasure troves, glories, prides, brass rings, booties, loots, plunders, spoils, swags, blessings, finds, godsends, goodies, valuables, windfalls, catches, gems, jewels, pearls, plums, prizes, treasures
    opposite: lemons, losers

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Prize

The most common words with a similar meaning to Prize:

Slang: boss, cool, dope, down, fantabulous, gone, hype, out-of-sight, phat, primo, radical, righteous
Chiefly British: bonny, topping, wizard
catch, gem, jewel, pearl, plum, treasure, accolade, award, blue ribbon, decoration, distinction, honor, kudo, plume, premium, A-OK, A1, awesome, bang-up, banner, beautiful, blue-chip, blue-ribbon, boffo, brag, brave, bully, bumper, capital, choice, classic, corking, crackerjack, cracking, dandy, divine, dynamite, excellent, fab, fabulous

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Prize

Words with the opposite meaning of Prize:

atrocious, awful, execrable, lousy, pathetic, poor, rotten, terrible, vile, wretched, disvalue

Related Words for Prize

blessing, find, godsend, goody, valuable, windfall, booty, loot, plunder, spoil, swag, brass ring, glory, pride, gold, jackpot, prize money, treasure trove, badge, crown, cup, laurel, medal, order, plaque, plate, ribbon, trophy, applause, bravo

Near Antonyms of Prize

lemon, loser, bad, inferior, low-grade, substandard, unsatisfactory, mediocre, middling, second-class, second-rate, implant, insert, install, instill, cram, jam, ram, stuff, wedge, connect, join, undervalue, abhor, abominate, despise, detest, execrate, hate, loathe

Word Forms of Prize

Inflections: prized, prizing

Origin & Etymology of Prize

Middle English pris prize, price price:1

First known use: 14th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Prize

Words & Phrases Containing Prize

prize money, prize-giving, booby prize, consolation prize

Frequently Asked Questions about Prize

What does "Prize" mean?

"Prize" means something offered or striven for in competition or in contests of chance; also, premium. As an a noun, an adjective and a verb, it is defined as: something offered or striven for in competition or in contests of chance; also, premium. It has 6 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Prize"?

Other words for "Prize" include catch, gem, jewel, pearl, plum, treasure, accolade and award. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Prize" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Prize"?

There are 229 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Prize". Common alternatives include catch, gem, jewel, pearl, plum, treasure, accolade, award, blue ribbon and decoration.

What is a slang word for "Prize"?

Slang words for "Prize" include boss, cool, dope, down, fantabulous and gone.

What is the opposite of "Prize"?

Antonyms of "Prize" include atrocious, awful, execrable, lousy, pathetic, poor, rotten and terrible. Near antonyms include lemon, loser, bad and inferior.

How do you use "Prize" in a sentence?

Examples of "Prize" in a sentence: "in the view of most of her friends, her current boyfriend is certainly no prize"; "the Pritzker Architecture Prize is the world's most prestigious honor in the field of architecture"; "delighted to be guests at one of her prize dinner parties".

Is "Prize" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Prize" can be used as a noun, an adjective and a verb, depending on the context.

Is "Prize" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As an A2-level word, "Prize" is typical of Cambridge A2 Key (KET), PTE Academic 30–42, TOEIC Listening & Reading 225+.