trophy

trophy — adjective

1. describing a person or thing that someone acquires or displays mainly to show th

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

describing a person or thing that someone acquires or displays mainly to show their wealth, success, or high social position rather than for practical or personal reasons.

Example

Luca drove up in a sports car, a classic trophy purchase that impressed his neighbours.

attributive: trophy + noun for status possessions

Yael felt uncomfortable being introduced as a trophy girlfriend at the company party.

common phrase: trophy wife / trophy girlfriend / trophy husband

Common collocations
  • trophy wife
  • trophy husband
  • trophy home
  • trophy asset
  • trophy purchase
Synonyms
  • prestige

    focuses on the honour or status something brings, but used more broadly (a prestige project, not a prestige wife)

  • ornamental

    emphasises being decorative rather than useful, but lacks the social-status meaning

Grammar Patterns

trophy + noun

Usage Note

Only used before a noun (attributive position). Never used in comparative or superlative forms, and cannot stand alone as a predicate adjective.

Common Mistakes

She is trophy.
She is a trophy wife.
'trophy' as an adjective must appear directly before a noun; it cannot serve as the main description of a subject.

trophy — noun

Word family

  • trophied
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe something given to recognise achievement, but they differ in shape, context, and formality. A trophy is usually a decorative object (cup, figure, or bowl) given for winning a competition or race, and it often carries a ceremonial, display-oriented meaning. A cup is a specific type of trophy shaped like a drinking vessel, common in sports (the World Cup). Prize is the broadest term — it covers money, gifts, trips, or any reward and does not require a physical object. Award is more formal and often implies a judged or committee-based decision (an Oscar is an award, not a prize you compete for). Medal is a flat, usually round piece of metal worn on a ribbon, given in events like the Olympics for first, second, or third place. In everyday use: 'She won a trophy at the tennis tournament' suggests a physical object; 'She won first prize' could mean money or a gift; 'She received an award for her research' implies selection by a panel.

cup ↗prize ↗award ↗medal ↗

Common collocations

Prepositions

  • trophy for [competition]

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'trophy' comes from the Greek 'tropaion', meaning a monument set up on a battlefield to mark the spot where an enemy had been routed (from 'trope', a turning or defeat). The Romans borrowed it as 'trophaeum', and it passed into Old French as 'trophée' before entering English around the 1500s. In its earliest English uses it referred specifically to a war memorial or captured spoils; the modern sense of a prize cup for a sporting competition developed in the 1800s.