bestowed

American  

[bih-stohd] / bɪˈstoʊd /

adjective

1. presented as a gift or privilege; given or conferred.

   As the official addressed them, some members of the audience shouted with joy over their newly bestowed citizenship.

2. Archaic. applied; put to some use.

   If I regarded the present discussion concerning baptism as only about mere mode or form, I should think my time and labor poorly bestowed.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of bestow.

Other Word Forms

• unbestowed adjective
• well-bestowed adjective

Etymology

Origin of bestowed

bestow ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

The couple will still be on a high after all the festivities and luxuriating in the afterglow of the love — and cash — bestowed upon them.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 13, 2026

The WGA bestowed the Walter Bernstein Award on Colbert, meant to honor artists with a “willingness to confront social injustice in the face of adversity.”

From Salon • Mar. 9, 2026

"I am sorry that I was not able to repay the faith you bestowed in me with the outcome you all deserved," he added.

From BBC • Mar. 4, 2026

The other was bestowed on a 100-year-old Navy pilot who led his squadron to victory in a 1952 Korean War aerial battle against an overwhelming enemy force that remained secret until 2002.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 25, 2026

Acutely aware of the honor that Ammu had bestowed on him, Estha had used both his best handwritings.

From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy