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Prowess is a word with a lot to be proud of. Not only has it performed gallantly for the English language since the 13th century, but it has stayed relatively stalwart in hewing to its original meaning, which is quite a flex. When prowess first joined the ranks of the lexicon, it could be used to refer to bravery, skill, and valor—especially those virtues as encountered in military contexts—or to individual acts of derring-do. The latter was usually used in the plural, as when people waxed rhapsodic about the “prowesses” of knights or some such. Today’s “extraordinary ability” meaning, which developed in the 17th century, tends to stick to the singular form, as when it’s used to describe those with intellectual prowess, or to someone known for their prowess as a fundraiser.
Synonyms
Examples of prowess in a Sentence
Michelle Lee, People.com, 27 Jan. 2025
Manual Arts guard Devin Moody shows off his scoring prowess during a recent game.
—Benjamin Royer, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2025
Roseanne Barr, who was fired by Disney from her titular ABC show in 2018 at the height of its ratings prowess, is plotting a TV comeback.
—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 27 Jan. 2025
Processing prowess As well, the S25-series smartphones sets itself apart with what bench markers say is the biggest single-year leap in performance and efficiency that Samsung – or any Android smartphone maker, for that matter – has seen in quite some time.
—Mike Feibus, USA TODAY, 23 Jan. 2025
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Dictionary Entries Near prowess
Cite this Entry
“Prowess.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prowess. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
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prowess
noun
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