Definition

1. Noun:
   • A distinguishing mark or seal: An official stamp or seal, especially one on a document to indicate authenticity or approval.
   • Prestige, superior status: The state of being respected, admired, or having high status; a mark of quality, exclusivity, or distinction.

Usage

• The word "cachet" is used to describe a quality or mark that confers prestige, distinction, or official approval.
• It often refers to the special character or appeal that makes someone or something seem desirable or superior.

Examples

• Noun (Prestige):
  • The brand carries a certain cachet that justifies its high price.
  • Living in that neighborhood has lost some of its former cachet.
• Noun (Official Seal/Mark):
  • The letter bore the royal cachet. (This usage is less common in modern English.)

Advanced Usage

• "To have cachet": To possess prestige or a mark of distinction.
  • The small, independent film festival has real cachet among cinephiles.
• "To lend cachet to something": To give something an air of prestige or distinction.
  • The famous chef's endorsement lent instant cachet to the new restaurant.

Variants and Related Words

• Cacheted (adj., rare): Stamped with or as if with a cachet; having prestige.
  • A cacheted envelope from the president's office.

Synonyms

• Prestige: Widespread respect and admiration based on achievements or quality.
• Distinction: Excellence that sets someone or something apart from others.
• Status: Social or professional standing.
• Kudos (informal): Praise and honor received for an achievement.
• Seal (for the official mark meaning): An embossed or stamped design guaranteeing authenticity.

Antonyms

• Disrepute: The state of being held in low esteem.
• Obscurity: The state of being unknown or unimportant.
• Stigma: A mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person.

Idioms and Phrases

• "The cachet of...": Used to describe the prestige associated with a particular thing.
  • He was attracted by the cachet of an Ivy League education.
• "Carry cachet": To have prestige or be prestigious.
  • In the art world, a gallery showing in New York carries significant cachet.

Noun

1. a seal on a letter
2. a warrant formerly issued by a French king who could warrant imprisonment or death in a signed letter under his seal
3. an indication of approved or superior status