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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.
Examples of prowess in a Sentence
Pj Green
april 7, Kansas City Star, 7 Apr. 2026
Michigan has shown its prowess of taking momentum and sprinting with it offensively, dominating opponents all year long, including this NCAA Tournament.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 7 Apr. 2026
American and European universities have long been the gold standard in higher education, attracting top students from around the world to institutions like Harvard, Stanford, and Oxford—thanks in large part to their research prowess.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 3 Apr. 2026
The fact that any of this is still working is a testament both to the engineering prowess of the time and NASA’s emphasis on including redundant components.
—Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for prowess
Cite this Entry
“Prowess.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prowess. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
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prowess
noun
