I. es ‧ teem 1 /ɪˈstiːm/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable]
a feeling of respect for someone, or a good opinion of someone
hold somebody in high/great esteem
The critics held him in high esteem as an actor.
token/mark of sb’s esteem (=a sign of their respect)
Please accept the small gift we enclose as a mark of our esteem.
esteem for
my father’s complete lack of esteem for actors
⇨ ↑ self-esteem
II. esteem 2 BrE AmE verb [transitive] formal
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: estimer , from Latin aestimare ; ⇨ ↑ estimate 2 ]
to respect and admire someone or something:
Peden was greatly esteemed by the people of Ayrshire.
He was esteemed as a literary wit.