Coveted Meaning strongly desired or highly sought after, especially when many people want the same thing. It is commonly used for desirable jobs, awards, titles, possessions, opportunities, places, and other things that are considered valuable or prestigious.
For example, if someone says, “She won the coveted award,” they mean the award was highly desirable and something many people would have liked to receive.
The word comes from the verb covet, which means to want something very much. Dictionaries generally describe coveted as something that is strongly desired or sought after.
What Does Coveted Mean?
The simplest definition of coveted is:
Coveted = greatly desired, wanted by many, or highly sought after.
It often suggests that the thing is not just wanted, but considered especially valuable, attractive, prestigious, or difficult to obtain.
Compare these two sentences:
- She wanted the position.
- She wanted the coveted position.
The second sentence gives the impression that the position is highly desirable and that other people may want it too.
Common phrases include:
- coveted award
- coveted position
- coveted job
- coveted title
- coveted prize
- coveted trophy
- coveted opportunity
- coveted role
- coveted spot
- coveted possession
These combinations are common because coveted works especially well when something is competitive or desirable. Collins, for example, lists common combinations such as “coveted award,” “coveted role,” and “coveted trophy.”
How Is Coveted Used in a Sentence?
Coveted is often placed directly before a noun:
She finally earned the coveted scholarship.
Here, the scholarship is highly desirable.
It can also appear after a form of be:
The position was highly coveted by experienced professionals.
In this sentence, coveted describes how strongly people wanted the position.
There is another important use. Coveted is also the past tense and past participle of the verb covet:
He coveted the chance to work with the famous director.
Here, coveted means that he strongly wanted the opportunity. Oxford identifies coveted as both the past form and past participle of covet.
Adjective vs. Verb
The context tells you which role coveted is playing.
Adjective:
She received the coveted award.
Meaning: The award was highly desired.
Verb:
He coveted the award for years.
Meaning: He strongly wanted the award.
This distinction is useful because the two sentences look similar but describe slightly different things.
Does Coveted Mean the Same as Wanted?
Not exactly.
Wanted is a broad and neutral word. Coveted is stronger and often suggests that something is particularly desirable or sought after.
For example:
I wanted a new laptop.
This simply tells us that the person desired a laptop.
The new laptop became a coveted item among students.
This suggests that many students considered it desirable and wanted to have it.
That extra sense of high desirability or competition is what gives coveted its stronger meaning. Cambridge defines it as “strongly desired by many,” while Collins describes it as something very many people would like to have.
Coveted Meaning in Texting and Social Media
Coveted is not normally texting slang or an abbreviation. It is a standard English word that can appear in text messages, social media posts, captions, comments, and online discussions just as it can in regular writing.
For example:
Friend: Did you get those concert tickets?
You: Yeah! The coveted front-row tickets finally became available.
Or:
“Finally got my hands on the coveted sneakers!”
On Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, or other social platforms, people may use coveted to describe something popular, exclusive, fashionable, or difficult to obtain.
The meaning generally stays the same across platforms. Context may make the word sound more casual, enthusiastic, or humorous, but it doesn’t turn coveted into a separate slang term.
Examples of Coveted in Everyday Sentences
Here are some natural examples showing how the word works in different situations.
Work
Maya finally got the coveted promotion after years of hard work.
The promotion was highly desirable.
School
Only a few students received the coveted scholarship.
The scholarship was something many students wanted.
Sports
The team is determined to win the coveted championship title.
The championship is highly desired and prestigious.
Entertainment
She landed a coveted role in the new movie.
Many actors would likely want that role.
Shopping
Those limited-edition shoes are highly coveted by collectors.
The shoes are strongly desired by collectors.
Travel
The hotel has a few coveted rooms overlooking the ocean.
Those rooms are especially desirable.
Casual conversation
Friend: How did your interview go?
You: Great! I actually got the coveted position.
Here, coveted adds emphasis and suggests that the job was a particularly desirable one.
What Does Highly Coveted Mean?
Highly coveted means very strongly desired or extremely sought after.
For example:
She received a highly coveted scholarship.
This means the scholarship was considered especially desirable.
You will often see highly coveted in writing about awards, jobs, luxury products, academic opportunities, sports titles, and prestigious positions.
However, highly coveted and coveted are very close in meaning. The word highly simply adds extra emphasis.
Is Coveted a Positive or Negative Word?
Usually, coveted is neutral to positive when describing the thing being desired.
For example:
He accepted the coveted position.
The word suggests that the position is valuable or desirable.
However, the related verb covet can sometimes carry a more negative sense because it involves wanting something intensely, particularly something belonging to another person. Cambridge and Oxford both note this connection in their definitions of covet.
For instance:
He coveted his neighbor’s property.
This can sound negative because the person strongly wants something that belongs to someone else.
So, the surrounding context matters.
Is Coveted Formal or Informal?
Coveted is a standard word and is more common in formal, professional, literary, or polished writing than in very casual conversation.
You can use it in:
- Essays
- Articles
- News writing
- Professional writing
- Academic writing
- Speeches
- Social media
- Casual conversations
For a very casual conversation, people may simply say wanted, really wanted, or sought after.
For example:
More casual:
She really wanted the job.
More polished:
She was chosen for the coveted position.
Neither is wrong. The second simply sounds more descriptive and emphasizes the desirability of the position.
Coveted vs. Desired vs. Sought-After
These words are closely related, but there are small differences in tone.
| Word | Basic meaning | Typical feeling |
|---|---|---|
| Coveted | Strongly desired | Often suggests prestige or competition |
| Desired | Wanted | Neutral and broad |
| Sought-after | Wanted by many people | Emphasizes demand |
| Wanted | Desired | Simple and everyday |
| Longed-for | Strongly wished for | Often more emotional |
For example:
She received the coveted award.
She received the desired award.
She received the sought-after award.
All three can work, but coveted often sounds more prestigious and emphasizes how desirable the award is.
Collins lists desired, longed-for, sought-after, in demand, and wanted among related meanings and synonyms.
How to Pronounce Coveted
Coveted is commonly pronounced approximately like:
KUV-uh-tid
The pronunciation is listed by major dictionaries with the stress on the first syllable.
The base word covet is pronounced approximately:
KUV-it or KUV-uht, depending on the variety of English.
Where Did the Word Coveted Come From?
The word comes from the verb covet. Oxford traces covet through Middle English and Old French to Latin cupiditas, associated with strong desire.
The historical connection helps explain why covet carries the idea of wanting something very strongly.
You don’t need to know its origin to use coveted correctly, but it explains why the word has a stronger sense than simply wanted.
Common Mistakes With Coveted
One common mistake is treating coveted as if it always means something that one specific person wants.
Usually, when coveted is used as an adjective, it describes something that is highly desirable to many people.
For example:
The coveted position attracted hundreds of applicants.
This clearly shows why the position is called coveted.
Another mistake is assuming that coveted automatically means expensive.
That’s not necessarily true.
A thing can be coveted because it is rare, prestigious, useful, meaningful, exclusive, or difficult to obtain. It doesn’t have to be expensive.
For example:
The teacher’s coveted recommendation meant a lot to the students.
The recommendation may be valuable because of its importance, not its price.
FAQs
Q1: What does coveted mean in simple words?
A: Coveted means strongly wanted or highly desired, especially when many people want the same thing.
Q2: Is coveted a slang word?
A: No. Coveted is a standard English word, not internet slang or texting slang. It can be used in both everyday and formal contexts.
Q3: What does coveted mean in texting?
A: In texting, coveted has the same basic meaning: highly desired or sought after. It isn’t a special abbreviation or slang expression.
Q4: What is an example of coveted?
A: “She won the coveted scholarship.”
This means the scholarship was highly desirable and something many people wanted.
Q5: Is coveted the same as desired?
A: They are similar, but coveted is usually stronger. It often suggests that something is especially desirable or sought after by many people.
Q6: What is the opposite of coveted?
A: Depending on the context, possible opposites include unwanted, undesirable, or uncoveted.
For example:
The once-coveted position became undesirable after the company changed its policies.
Q7: Can coveted describe a person?
A: It can, although it is more naturally used for a thing, position, quality, or opportunity.
For example:
The actor became a coveted guest at major events.
Here, the person is highly desired as a guest.
Q8: Can coveted describe a job?
A: Yes. This is one of its common uses.
She was offered a coveted position at the company.
It means the position was highly desirable.
Final Thoughts
The easiest way to remember coveted is “strongly desired or highly sought after.” It is especially useful when something is wanted by many people or has a reputation for being valuable, prestigious, rare, or difficult to obtain.
You can use it for awards, jobs, opportunities, titles, products, tickets, possessions, and other desirable things. Just remember that coveted is not texting slang; it’s a standard English word that adds stronger emphasis than simply saying wanted or desired.
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Muhammad Bilal is an expert blogger in Grammar Guide, dedicated to simplifying English grammar and helping learners write and speak with clarity, confidence, and accuracy.
