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Synonyms

sought-after

American  
[sawt-af-ter, -ahf-] / ˈsɔtˌæf tər, -ˌɑf- /

adjective

  1. that is in demand; desirable.

    a sought-after speaker.
sought-after British  

adjective

  1. in demand; wanted

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
sought after Idioms  

  1. Also, much sought after. Very popular, in demand, as in He was much sought after as a throat specialist, particularly by singers. This expression uses the past participle of seek in the sense of “desired” or “searched for.” [Late 1800s]

Etymology

Origin of sought-after

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

On April 19, as search-and-rescue teams dug through the rubble for survivors, Emerson became a sought-after TV pundit.

From Slate • Apr. 19, 2026

Mantell has mastered these strategies over these past two decades and is now a sought-after speaker on Social Security, Medicare and other retirement topics.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 18, 2026

Chinese national Zhang Kequn was arrested at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport last week with more than 2,200 ants, including 1,948 of the sought-after Messor cephalotes species, in his luggage.

From Barron's • Mar. 17, 2026

It’s both one of the most exclusive, sought-after invites in town and a jam-packed, raucous bash.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 15, 2026

Throughout history, some of the most sought-after shipwrecks have been those that played an important role in the nation’s history before meeting an unfortunate end.

From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.